Lead pollution has spread around Notre-Dame de Paris since the cathedral fire. Traces above the regulatory reporting threshold were detected in the blood of a child. Explanations and precautionary measures.
The Notre-Dame de Paris fire caused lead pollution near the cathedral: nearly 500 tonnes from the spire and the roof of the cathedral escaped into the air. The inhabitants of the district are particularly exposed. Traces of lead above the regulatory reporting threshold were detected in the blood of a child. The Île-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) has therefore opened an environmental investigation.
A “monitoring blood lead”
“The samples taken by the Central Laboratory of the Prefecture of Police (LCPP) from April 17 showed that there was no risk associated with air quality but that heterogeneous values, for some high , were observed in the nearby soil and in certain administrative premises”, writes the ARS in a statement. Even if the soils concerned have been prohibited from access to the public and that the depollution should soon begin, she invites pregnant women and “families with children under the age of seven and pregnant women living on the Île de la Cité to carry out a blood lead level (measurement of the concentration present in the blood, editor’s note) monitoring “as a precaution.
Samples were taken from the accommodation located near the cathedral in order to verify that the cleaning had been carried out correctly. “The first samples in the dwellings show that the dust does not generally have high lead levels, even if lead-contaminated dust was occasionally found in certain dwellings”. An additional analysis is in progress and the families will soon be contacted in turn.
A few precautionary measures
In the meantime, the ARS gives some advice to prevent possible reintroduction of dust into housing:
– Frequently clean the floors of rooms and balconies or terraces, window sills with a damp mop, do not use a broom or vacuum cleaner, unless they are fitted with a THE (Very High Efficiency) or HEPA (High Efficiency) filter. Efficiency Particulate Air);
– limit the introduction of dust into the accommodation by removing the shoes used outside at the entrance;
– wash your hands regularly (particularly before meals or after contact with the ground), keep your fingernails short and do not bite them;
– Frequently wash children’s toys and other objects they are likely to put in their mouths.
The impact of lead on health
The blood lead level detected in the child concerned “requires ensuring that the exposure factors have indeed disappeared and regularly monitoring (his) health”, but “it does not imply any particular therapeutic management”, ensures the ARS. If the health authorities are so rigorous, it is because in young children, the most worrying effect of lead poisoning is the decrease in cognitive and sensorimotor performance.
A study published last January showed that theaccumulation of lead in the body during childhood exposes people to an increased risk of mental illness in adulthood, and is also linked to a lower intelligence quotient. Other work has also shown that high levels of lead in the body increase the risk of developing drug-resistant hypertension.
Toxic for the body, even at low concentration, lead “increases the risk of chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure, impairs sperm quality and decreases male fertility”, precise Inserm. During pregnancy, it “can be incorporated by the digestive, respiratory or blood routes between the mother and the fetus. It then distributes itself in the blood, the soft tissues, and especially in the skeleton (at 94%) where it accumulates gradually and remains stored for a very long time”.
So if you have any doubts, don’t hesitate. UA screening consultation will be set up by appointment at the Hôtel Dieu Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center from this Tuesday, June 4th. Appointments are made on site between 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., or by telephone on 01 42 34 82 10 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
.
