Scientific and legal expertise

Are surfers endangering their health while practicing their favorite activity? The ocean is polluted by chemicals, but there is currently no study showing their consequences on our body. The CURL project aims to assess swimmers’ and surfers’ level of exposure to chemical pollutants.

To reduce marine litter, we have to think beyond beach clean-ups and act directly at the source of the problem. Plastic Origins, a Surfrider Europe program, invites volunteers on a river quest to monitor inland plastic pollution and build local solutions to prevent it from reaching the Ocean.

Used in many wastewater treatment plants since the early 2000’s, filtrating medias beach in large quantities on the coasts worldwide. After ten years of investigation, Surfrider Europe publicizes the first report on the subject.

Coastal and marine areas have always been a breeding space for innovation and development. An increasing number of projects, particularly in Renewable Ocean Energy, have recently surfaced in these areas, driven by climate change, the appeal of coastal life and aspirations for “Blue Growth”.

Chemical pollution is generated by the release of chemical products from both industrial and domestic sources and can result from the use of pesticides, detergents or heavy metals. Currently, chemical pollution is still not taken into account in bathing water quality control,yet it poses a major risk to both human and marine life.

Surfrider Europe has developed laboratory research over the course of many years in the field of bathing water treatment. Thanks to regular analyses carried out locally, researchers have been able to accurately monitor changes in water quality. Today, all of these research results contribute to Surfrider Europe’s goal of making them more accessible to users and standardised across Europe.

Ostreopsis ovata are microscopic algae that thrive in warm, still, shallow waters on rocky coastlines.