• The family of Jean-René Auffray launched a decade-long battle to prove his death was caused by toxic gases from rotting seaweed on Brittany beaches.
  • The seaweed Ulva armoricana, fueled by nitrates from intensive farming, releases hydrogen sulfide which can be lethal in high concentrations.
  • Doctor Pierre Philippe has been warning about the dangers since 1989, when a young jogger was found dead in seaweed piles.
  • Despite multiple deaths and beach closures, French authorities long ignored the problem and failed to conduct investigations.
  • Brittany, with over half of France’s pigs on just 5% of its land, is the main source of nitrate pollution driving the algal blooms.

Sources & Links