The city of Paris has launched a vast survey to identify schools and extracurricular establishments polluted by lead. 673 children from around 60 establishments had to be screened.
Are Parisian darlings exposed to lead when they are at school? This is the fear of the city of Paris which, following the first results of a study launched in September 2021, is beginning to identify children who could have been dangerously exposed to lead in nurseries or schools. .
So far, around 60 establishments have already been inspected. On this panel, the pupils of two primary schools and four kindergartens had, as a precaution, to carry out a blood lead level (specific blood test for the detection of lead). Totaling “673 children checked, no analysis showed concern», announces to Figaro Anne Souyris, the EELV deputy to the mayor of Paris in charge of Health. The series of tests concerns all the districts of the city of Paris – a first in the history of the capital. The long-term objective is to verify the level of lead in 80 establishments, and the results of the study will be published on the ARS website.
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The Notre-Dame de Paris page is not yet completely closed. The fire in the cathedral put the lead back on the front of the stage. An invisible threat that is one of the leading causes of lead poisoning in children under seven. In 2015, the Paris health plan identified lead as one of the eight exposure factors responsible for major pathologies in environmental health in the capital. “The legislation is not at all up to date. We realized how inadequate it was when the Notre Dame fire happened“says Anne Souyris.
In France, the law imposes a maximum average lead level indoors of 70 micrograms per square meter, 1000 if there is work. Outdoors, there are no regulations but only a recommendation from the ARS which recommends, specifically for Paris, 5000 micrograms per square meter. “That does not mean that it is viable, you have to go much lower, this recommendation is contested in particular by the High Council of Public Healthadds Anne Souyris.
«This is a preventive approach, to avoid causing panic»
The method used for this study is experimental. First, it takes into account the construction dates of the buildings. A school or nursery built in 1950 is much more likely to have high levels of lead in paint or dust. “Paris was built before 1950, with imported earth that was already contaminated with lead, that’s why we also examine the exterioradds Anne Souyris. In addition, lead particles have the ability to melt into water and then run off with it. The Haussmann buildings, part of the roof and gutters of which are made of lead, are a major drawback for its runoff.
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The study also departs from the legislation by not basing its checks on an average, but on a sampling piece by piece. Concretely, if in a school only one classroom has a lead level above 70 micrograms, the City of Paris will request a blood sample only from children who regularly use the room. If the excess lead area is not easily accessible, such as a window sill, the school will only have to do some work. “This is a preventive approach, to avoid causing panicsays Anne Souyris.
Regarding the exterior, screening is requested if an area exceeds 1000 milligrams per square meter. “We want it to give enough of a picture to push the state to put in place much safer health regulations.says Anne Souyris.