ANSES believes that the European Commission's new Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial, published on 10 June 2022, is too restrictive and could lead to a regression in the protection of public health and the environment. The Agency is therefore urging the French authorities to take a more inclusive definition into account and work towards its integration in the revision of sectoral regulations at European level. With this in mind, the Agency has listed all the criteria needed to define nanoscale objects whose possible health effects warrant assessment.

Following the provision of new data from the French Scientific and Technical Centre for Building (CSTB) and the French Frequency Agency (ANFR), ANSES has updated the expert appraisal on Linky smart electricity meters it conducted in 2017. The Agency confirms that there is little likelihood of exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by Linky meters generating health effects in the short or long term.

Health crises caused by avian influenza have been recurring and growing in scale, which means that preventive measures on French poultry farms need to be reinforced. The vaccination of poultry is a possible option that is being considered to supplement the biosecurity measures already in place on these farms. To help the public authorities establish a vaccination strategy that could be implemented as early as autumn 2023, ANSES is proposing three preventive vaccination scenarios. They aim to protect poultry sectors and limit the spread of the virus by determining the types of farms and the species to be vaccinated as a priority, depending on the available vaccination resources.

ANSES’s Laboratory for Hydrology periodically conducts campaigns to assess chemical compounds in drinking water that are not (or not sufficiently) sampled during routine monitoring. The data from the latest campaign are published today. This is an overview of the main findings, including analyses of more than 150 pesticides and pesticide metabolites and approximately 50 explosives residues.

The harmonised classification proposals submitted by ANSES under the CLP Regulation (on classification, labelling and packaging of products) aim to better manage the risks associated with the use of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) at European level. These substances, used in the manufacture of polymers and resins, are found in many products including cosmetics and personal care products. They can cause allergic and irritant reactions, especially for professionals. These classification proposals have been available for public consultation since 13 March 2023 on the website of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to enable all stakeholders to comment or provide additional information on these substances.

Following the identification of genetically modified rapeseed plants growing near Rouen, the Agency was asked to assess the effectiveness of the measures applied to eradicate them and prevent the accidental release of GMOs into the environment more generally. It recommends strengthening monitoring plans and, in particular, mapping the areas of France most at risk of their release.

What are the consequences of caterpillars with stinging hairs for the health of professionals working in woods, forests or green spaces? What occupations and regions are the most exposed? To answer these questions, ANSES and the Central Fund for the Agricultural Mutual Insurance Scheme (MSA) are jointly launching a nation-wide study called CheniPRO.

In Europe, the sharp decrease in cases of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) has led to an easing of the restrictions on the use of products of animal origin in the feed of food-producing species. In the expert appraisal it recently published, ANSES concluded that ruminant fat, gelatine and collagen should only be used in certain conditions, in order to guarantee the absence of any risk of transmitting TSEs.

More than one in three French people recycle their waste in garden or community composters. In addition to putting vegetable peels and scraps in them, some people add plastic waste, in particular “biodegradable” or “compostable” single-use plastic bags. And yet the total degradation of such plastics is not guaranteed in these composters, which means that use of the resulting compost can pose a risk to humans and the environment. ANSES therefore recommends not placing any plastics in garden composters.