Notre-Dame de Paris
Press release no. 16
On Friday 14 May 2021, the Agence Régionale de Santé (Regional Health Agency) issued a press release stating that an increase in lead levels in the forecourt of Notre-Dame de Paris had been detected since 26 April. After a clumsy ‘wash down’, which did not specify whether the water was collected or poured into the gutters and the Seine, the levels continued to rise, reaching a very high peak of 34,609 µg/m2 in the centre of the forecourt (ARS press release).
The wind tunnels used during the filming of Jean-Jacques Anneau’s ‘Notre-Dame brûle’ have been cited as one of the causes of this increase in lead contamination. The authorisation to use wind tunnels in an environment polluted by lead dust is a further breach of health risk management rules on this site. Before rolling out the red carpet, the old lead carpet should have been cleaned. This potential cause does not rule out Robin des Bois’ observation that the resin applied to the forecourt had disintegrated in order to “encapsulate” the lead contamination and reopen the forecourt to foot traffic and picnics as quickly as possible. On the other hand, natural winds are regular and swirling wind tunnels that a full risk analysis should have taken into account.
Allowing the weekend to pass, the Préfecture de Police announced on Monday 17 May that the forecourt would be re-closed, while already planning to reopen it after cleaning. Robin des Bois is challenging this piecemeal strategy, which is putting local residents and visitors at risk, and is calling for the forecourt to be permanently closed until the Notre-Dame de Paris worksite is completed. The forecourt is unsanitary.
Link to Robin des Bois publications on the Notre-Dame de Paris fire.
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