Published
Video length: 26 min
Correspondent. Under the flag, pollution?
Correspondent. Under the flag, pollution?
(SPECIAL SENDING / FRANCE 2)
In summer, more and more French beaches are closed to swimming. Bacteria, fuel oil, medicines, pesticides… Is pollution controlled and by whom?
The coast remains the preferred destination for 65% of French vacationers. The beach is good, it’s beautiful, but it’s sometimes toxic. Every year, in the middle of the summer season, more and more sites are closed to swimming.
From the Mediterranean to Brittany, via the Basque Country, no coast is spared. Bacteria, fuel oil, medicines, pesticides, are pollution controlled and by whom? What health risks ?
Can we still trust the Blue Flag, this sustainable tourist label, supposed to reassure us about the quality of swimming? “Special Envoy” sought to find out what are the criteria which make it possible to obtain this flag and the guarantees they provide, but also the way in which the Regional Health Agencies measure pollution and what the failures of the system are.
A report by Pierre Larrieu, Clément Voyer, Mathieu Barrère, Ludo G. / Auxyma broadcast in “Special Envoy” on June 20, 2024.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), “Magazines” section.
