Radioactive energy devices used to check that the paint in a home does not contain lead could be dangerous for their users according to information from the Parisian. Lead is responsible for diseases such as encephalopathies or anemia, and more generally cases of lead poisoning. It is therefore now mandatory to check that the paintings of a home for sale or rent do not contain any. To carry out the diagnosis on several superimposed layers of paint, a nuclear source lead analyzer is used. This device is now suspected of causing cancer by the Directorate General of Health. The latter was commissioned by the Ministry of Health to take stock of the risks and to try to understand why, in 7 years, nine diagnosers have been victims of cancer or leukemia. Four of them died.
The implicated devices are freely available on the Internet and benefit from authorizations from the ASN (Nuclear Safety Agency). The diagnosticians must normally declare their device every 5 years but, in fact, ASN carries out few checks. According to the manufacturers, radioactive energy devices pose no risk if used correctly. However, one of them speaking in the columns of the Parisian explains “the main risk is that a stolen or lost device is broken or that the radioactive source is intentionally extracted”.