Volunteers who mopped up the oil spill France's Atlantic coast from the sunken tanker Erika have taken the state to court for not warning of potential health risks, a spokesperson for the group said. The Association of Erika Volunteers (ABE) filed lawsuits at five regional tribunals along France's western coast on March 10, each targeting the local prefect. France's National Institute for Risks in the Environment (INERIS) announced last Wednesday that the sticky oil - still washing ashore - could cause cancer. The report said people wearing protective clothing faced no danger, but those treating birds, who often did not wear gloves and worked in confined areas, could face problems.