The color of the Meuse is unusualthis Friday November 8, 2024 near Mouzon, in the Ardennes. And for good reason, this milky white that can be observed over several meters is not natural. It comes from accidental pollution of the Meuse.
It was a company in the Sommer industrial zone, Adler Pelzer group, an automobile equipment manufacturer, which unfortunately rejected latex in the river following a mechanical malfunction.
Two tonnes of latex dumped into the Meuse
The police have been notified around 12:30 p.m. by the Ardennes fishing federation, and contacted the ARS to see if there were any communal catchment areas. For their part, the firefighters carried out the first reconnaissance. “ This is a very special case. The product is miscible in water, so it cannot be recovered », specifies the RCH technical advice (chemical risk) of the firefighters.
In total, it is two tons estimated amounts of liquid which were discharged into the Meuse, causing visible pollution over a distance of nearly two kilometers. « The risk to human health has been ruled out », specifies the prefecture of the Ardennes, in a press release sent to The Ardennes.
A risk for fish
However, the prefecture specifies that “ This is a product that may be toxic to certain fish. »
For Michel Adam, president of the Ardennes Fishing Federation and who raised the alarm, liquid latex will weaken the photosynthesis process. “ This will pose a problem in terms of gas exchange between water and air, because air will no longer penetrate the water, because of the latex. » A problem which could also lead to a risk of lack of food for fish. The president also informs that the Federation will file a complaint against the company, and become a civil party, under article L432-2 of the Environmental Code. who explains that “the fact of throwing, dumping or letting flow into the waters mentioned in Article L. 431-3, directly or indirectly, any substances whose action or reactions have destroyed the fish or harmed its nutrition or reproduction or its food value, is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of 18,000 euros.»
The French Biodiversity Office (OFB) also made the trip, and took water samples over several meters for analysis purposes. Contacted, the OFB informs that a investigation has been opened. For its part, the Ardennes prefecture affirms that “ State services are mobilized to restore the situation. »
Consumption of fish prohibited
Following these events, the prefecture decided to issue today, as a precaution, an order prohibiting the consumption of fish fished in the Meuse, between the communes of Mouzon and Givet. This decree runs until November 24, 2024. For its part, the Departmental Fishing Federation, through its president, plans to file a complaint against the company.
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