On April 16, 2019, after more than 15 hours of fighting against the flames ravaging Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Paris fire brigade finally breathes: the fire is under control, the building still stands. But more than 460 tons of lead, a highly toxic metal, especially for children and pregnant women, went up in smoke that day and continue, two years later, to pollute the Ile de la Cité and its surroundings. A situation which pushed the Departmental Union CGT Paris, the Henri Pézerat association and two families of residents whose children were exposed filed a complaint against X for “endangering the lives of others”. The complaint was filed this Tuesday morning by their lawyer, Me François Lafforgue.
“We have never ceased to warn about the toxicity of lead and yet there has never been any real decontamination on the site”, deplores Annie Thébaud-Mony, Honorary Research Director at Inserm and President of the Henri Pézerat association which notably contributed to the ban on asbestos in France. In the days which followed the fire, concentrations ten times higher than the Parisian average had been measured on rue de la Cité, a stone’s throw from the cathedral, four times higher on Place Saint-Michel, a major Parisian tourism center which has never been closed. On May 18, the forecourt of Notre-Dame was closed after the discovery of much higher than average lead concentration.
Lack of information and precaution
“We have always asked for total containment of the site, that is to say the creation of a temporary building that would allow real decontamination of the building. Unfortunately, that has never been studied, ”continues the president of the association. In the complaint, that 20 minutes was able to consult, associations and residents believe that “the existence of a direct and immediate risk likely to cause a physical peril of particular gravity”, numerous supporting reports, is beyond doubt. The complainants stress in particular that on July 18, 2019, out of 82 children tested, ten had blood lead levels above the vigilance threshold.
On the site, many shortcomings were also noted. Lack of protective masks, unsuitable decontamination airlock, dry sweeping despite lead dust … These malfunctions had been pointed out in May 2019 by the labor inspectorate, but it was not until July 18, 2019 for the prefect suspend the site to bring it up to standard. “These workers, whether on the site or in the vicinity, were exposed to very high levels of lead without suitable equipment for more than three months. The risk to their health is real, ”insists Annie Thébaud-Mony.
In this context, the complainants deplore the choice of the authorities to want to reconstruct the famous spire of Notre-Dame identically. By using lead, then. “It’s madness when you see the situation in which we are today”, loose the president of the association Henri Pézerat. A complaint, also for “endangering the life of others”, with constitution of civil party, had been filed in April by the Robin des Bois association. It must allow the quasi-automatic opening of a judicial investigation and the appointment of an investigating judge.