« Everything is erased, everything is green,” Denis Minot sneers. The director of Eau 17 gave big news to the trade union committee meeting in Saintes on Friday 14 June. The opinion of the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) was published…
« Everything is erased, everything is green,” Denis Minot mocks. The director of Eau 17 gave big news to the trade union committee meeting in Saintes on Friday 14 June. The opinion of the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES), published on May 22, 2024, changes the situation around chlorothalonil.
Let’s rewind. Traces of this fungicide have been found in a large number of water bodies. Overdoses were identified in 104 samples taken by Eau 17 in 2023. “Before, we weren’t looking for it,” says Denis Minot.
The Ance opinion revisits the presumption of dangerousness. He believes that this is now “irrelevant” in the case of the R471811 molecule. That’s fine, it’s common in catchment wells. The La Rochelle metropolitan area has closed some as a precaution. He is due to announce their reopening during a press conference on Monday, June 17. We are moving from a ban of 0.1 micrograms per liter to a less restrictive ‘indicator value of 0.9 micrograms per litre’.
Model movement
The hazard of another molecule, R417888, is classified as “appropriate” by not exceeding the 0.1 microgram limit. But it was observed very rarely. “We will continue to follow him in the hope that we will not find him. For us, the episode is closed,” Denis Minot concludes.
Christophe Sueur emphasizes the leading role of the departmental union in solving this issue. “We expressed anger in the form of action. It was accepted by the Department Council and other associations. This was the basis of the questioning of public services. A molecule was commercialized and suddenly it was up to us to figure it out,” sums up the president of Eau 17. Another molecule may arrive tomorrow to cast doubt on the quality of drinking water.