The specter of lead pollution that arose after the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris resurfaces. An investigating judge has been appointed to investigate the possible endangerment of others following a complaint. The complaint in question, with civil action for “endangering others” was filed in June 2022 by the Henri-Pézerat association, the CGT-Paris departmental union and two parents of students.
On April 15, 2019, a gigantic fire ravaged the masterpiece of Gothic architecture, causing the collapse of its framework, its famous spire, its clock and part of its vault, under the dumbfounded gaze millions of people around the world. In the blaze, 400 tons of lead from the roof and spire of Notre-Dame went up in smoke, i.e. “nearly four times the annual lead emissions into the atmosphere, in the whole of France”note the plaintiffs.
If the risk linked to air pollution is fairly quickly dismissed, residents and associations are worried about the fallout on the ground of this toxic heavy metal, which can be brought home under its soles and be ingested by children. For the complainants, “despite the scale of the fire and the knowledge of the risks of pollution and contamination (…)no special precautions were taken by the authorities concerned for more than three months after the fire”endangering “children (in nurseries and schools), residents and workers (in the neighborhood and the cathedral)”.
Precautions considered insufficient
However, according to them, the regional health agency (ARS), the Prefecture of police, the Paris town hall, or even the ministry of culture should have taken the most draconian measures immediately after the blaze. “We ask that investigations be carried out quickly so that responsibilities are cleared concerning the contamination of children attending school or living near Notre-Dame and concerning the massive exposure of workers present on the site”, commented to AFP the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mr.e Francois Lafforgue, ” satisfied “ the opening of a judicial investigation.
In May 2021, the forecourt of Notre-Dame was closed to the public following a notice from the Ile-de-France ARS on the high concentrations of lead dust near the cathedral.
The reopening of the building, which, before the fire, welcomed nearly 12 million visitors, 2,400 masses and offices and 150 concerts per year, is planned for 2024.