France, June 25 -- A French court on Tuesday ordered the state to compensate the family of a 50-year-old man who died in 2016 during a run after inhaling poisonous gas emitted by rotting green algae piled along the country's western coast. This decisionmarks the first time France has been held liable for the health risks posed by deadly green algae blooms along its coast.

The Nantes appeals court found France liable for the death of Jean-Rene Auffray, citing its "negligence" in enforcing environmental regulations to protect its waters and prevent toxic green algae blooms.

For more than five decades, tons of green algae have washed up annually on Brittany's beaches in western France, releasing hydrogen sulphide gas as it rots - a toxin t...