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Cyanobacteria in fresh water: ANSES makes proposals with a view to harmonising surveillance and control
Cyanobactéries
03/09/2020
News

Cyanobacteria in fresh water: ANSES makes proposals with a view to harmonising surveillance and control

Today, ANSES is publishing an opinion on the health risks associated with the presence of cyanobacteria and their toxins in recreational water, drinking water and water intended for fishing. This work has been used to update the list of toxin-producing cyanobacteria in fresh water that pose a threat to humans. To harmonise and improve water surveillance, quality monitoring and analysis activities, the Agency is offering fact sheets to aid management of the cyanotoxin risk for the various water uses. It is also providing useful guidance to managers on imposing or lifting bans on freshwater fish consumption in relation to the cyanobacterial blooms that can produce these toxins.
Hand sanitiser: take care to protect young children from accidentally splashing their eyes
gel hydroalcoolique
31/08/2020
News

Hand sanitiser: take care to protect young children from accidentally splashing their eyes

Several cases of young children accidentally spraying alcohol-based solutions into their eyes after using the hand-sanitiser dispensers provided in shops or other places open to the public have been reported by ophthalmologists and French Poison Control Centres. The most serious cases have required hospitalisation and even eye surgery. Here is some advice on how to avoid these accidents and limit their severity if they do occur.
Proposal for classification of a compound found in clothing and responsible for skin allergies
Allergie Cutanée Vêtements
26/08/2020
News

Proposal for classification of a compound found in clothing and responsible for skin allergies

A proposal for classification submitted by ANSES to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under the CLP Regulation on product classification, labelling and packaging has been subject to public consultation since 24 August 2020. This proposal concerns acetophenone azine, a substance liable to cause skin allergies, which has been found in sport clothing. As part of this consultation, all stakeholders will be able to comment on the ANSES proposal or provide any additional information in their possession. ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment will then send its final opinion to the European Commission. If the substance is classified, the Commission will then decide on its inclusion in the CLP Regulation. If the proposal made by ANSES is accepted, this will have direct consequences on the labelling of mixtures containing this compound.
Beware of confusion between edible and toxic plants
17/08/2020
News

Beware of confusion between edible and toxic plants

Some toxic plants resemble edible plants and may be confused with them, not only in the wild but also in the vegetable garden. Picking plants for consumption is therefore not without risk, and cases of serious or even fatal poisoning are regularly reported. Below are a few tips from the Agency and the Poison Control Centres on how to avoid accidents.
ANSES proposes classifying three lithium salts considered toxic to fertility and prenatal development
Lithium
03/08/2020
News

ANSES proposes classifying three lithium salts considered toxic to fertility and prenatal development

On 4 December 2019, ANSES submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for harmonised classification of lithium carbonate, lithium chloride and lithium hydroxide under the CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging of products). These three salts are hazardous to fertility and foetal development. This proposal has been the subject of a public consultation on the ECHA website since 3 August 2020, giving all stakeholders the opportunity to express their views and provide any additional information they may have. A final opinion by ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment will then be sent to the European Commission, which will decide on the relevance of adding the lithium salts to the CLP Regulation. This will have direct consequences on product labelling and could eventually lead to a more restrictive regulatory framework for their use in Europe.
Imitation food: vigilance needed to prevent the risk of accidents
31/07/2020
News

Imitation food: vigilance needed to prevent the risk of accidents

Fizzing bath tablets that resemble sweets, depilatory creams packaged like pouches of fruit puree or hand sanitiser sold in wine bottles: such imitations of food products are frequently found on the market. Whether you are a healthcare professional or an ordinary citizen, you can participate in reporting these products to prevent their accidental ingestion, especially by young children. Since 1987, European Directive 87/357/EEC has regulated products which, because they appear to be other than they are, endanger the health or safety of consumers. Member States that have identified such products may therefore take "all the measures necessary to prohibit the marketing, import and either manufacture or export of the products referred to". Despite these regulations and the recall of many articles by European control authorities, new products imitating food continue to be sold regularly in shops, in France and abroad. Depilatory creams packaged like pouches of fruit puree, fizzing bath tablets that resemble sweets or, more recently, in the context of the COVID 19 crisis, hand sanitiser solutions sold in wine bottles, have all been reported and subsequently withdrawn from the market. Too great a resemblance between a detergent or cosmetic and a food can lead to potentially toxic ingestion, especially by children. Health professionals and citizens alike can report these imitations to the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), which will carry out an analysis of the actual risk incurred.
Severe poisoning after consumption of toxic jimsonweed leaves from a vegetable patch
Datura
30/07/2020
News

Severe poisoning after consumption of toxic jimsonweed leaves from a vegetable patch

Following a group of severe poisoning cases in the Grand-Est region, ANSES and the poison control centres are alerting the public to the risks associated with consuming toxic wild plants that have been mistaken for edible ones, including in garden vegetable patches.
ANSES makes recommendations to limit cadmium exposure from consumption of edible seaweed
Cadmium
27/07/2020
News

ANSES makes recommendations to limit cadmium exposure from consumption of edible seaweed

Almost a quarter of edible seaweed samples analysed recently had cadmium concentrations above the maximum level of 0.5 milligram per kilogram set by the French High Council for Public Health (CSHPF). Because cadmium is classified as carcinogenic to humans and is used in foods whose consumption is increasing, the Agency was asked by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control to recommend maximum cadmium levels for seaweed intended for human consumption. As consumers are already exposed to cadmium in their daily lives, through diet or active and passive inhalation of tobacco smoke, the Agency recommends that maximum concentrations of cadmium in edible seaweed be set as low as possible to avoid the population being overexposed to cadmium through its consumption.
Food safety: ANSES offers a tool for ranking chemical and biological hazards
Sécurité sanitaire aliments
24/07/2020
News

Food safety: ANSES offers a tool for ranking chemical and biological hazards

From farm (food production and processing) to fork (consumption), the food we eat can be contaminated by various chemical and biological agents (hazards), posing a risk to our health. To help risk managers optimise the safety of our food, ANSES has developed a methodology for prioritising these hazards. Its proposed decision-support tool provides guidance on how to better monitor and prevent food contamination. After testing it on a number of hazards, the plan is now to deploy this tool on a larger scale.

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