Legal complaint over lead pollution from Notre Dame fire

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, March 28, 2024


Legal complaint over lead pollution from Notre Dame fire
In this file photo taken on April 15, 2019 The steeple and spire engulfed in flames collapses as the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burns in Paris. Paris city authorities and public health officials have been accused in a legal complaint of failing to safeguard the health of people living near Notre-Dame cathedral due to lead pollution caused by the fire that nearly destroyed the monument two years ago. Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP.



PARIS (AFP).- Paris authorities have been accused in a legal complaint of failing to safeguard the health of people living near Notre-Dame cathedral due to lead pollution from a devastating fire two years ago.

Local familes along with the Paris branch of the CGT trade union and the anti-pollution association Henri Pezerat, have filed the complaint alleging city and public health authorities endangered lives.

"Despite the scale of the fire and knowledge about the risk of pollution and contamination... no precaution in particular was taken by the authorities involved for more than three months after the fire," according to a copy of the complaint seen by AFP.

It says 400 tonnes of lead from the roof of the Gothic masterpiece melted or were dispersed as microparticles over the French capital during the blaze on April 15, 2019.

"Children (in creches and schools), neighbours and workers have clearly been exposed to the risk of lead" pollution, the complaint adds. "These facts amount to the crime of endangering the lives of others."

The square in front of the cathedral, which is being rebuilt, was closed again to the public in May this year after tests revealed high concentrations of toxic lead particles.

Several months after the fire, city authorities ordered a deep-clean of schools in the area, while children and pregnant women were urged to have blood tests.

The complaint says the city, run by Socialist mayor and presidential hopeful Anne Hidalgo, withheld information from school directors and failed to act promptly.

It also targets the police department, the culture ministry and regional health authorities.

While Notre-Dame's spire collapsed and much of the roof was destroyed, the efforts of firefighters ensured the great medieval edifice survived the fire.

But the lead risks delayed work on clearing debris and launching the restoration effort for the landmark, which President Emmanuel Macron wants open for visitors in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, but they have said an accident, possibly caused by a short circuit or discarded cigarette butt, remains the most likely explanation.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

July 7, 2021

Did the Nazis force an art sale? The question lingers 88 years later.

Ancient bone carving could change the way we think about Neanderthals

The divine feminine interventions of Vickie Pierre on view at the Boca Raton Museum of Art

Hauser & Wirth opens an exhibition of works by Gustav Metzger

CryptoPunk NFT joins ICA Miami collection

Damien Hirst's first museum exhibition in France opens at the Fondation Cartier

Pace Gallery welcomes Glenn Kaino

Online exhibition explores themes of domesticity

Miles McEnery Gallery opens an exhibition of recent works by Tom LaDuke

UCCA Beijing opens the most comprehensive exhibition of Andy Warhol in China to date

International forerunner Art Rotterdam Summer edition a resounding success

Peter Zinovieff, composer and synthesizer innovator, dies at 88

'Diana Markosian: Santa Barbara' now open at SFMOMA

Legal complaint over lead pollution from Notre Dame fire

A call to diversify those calling the cues

The New Museum opens the first American survey of work by Wong Ping

František Lesák probes the complex interplay between tactile and visual perception in new exhibition

Instead of bingo, senior housing brings opera singers and Broadway insiders to residents

Christie's announces new leadership for the Watches Department, Americas

Swann to present 'Focus on Women' July 15

Stephen Friedman Gallery opens an exhibition of works by Mamma Andersson and Andreas Eriksson

Edouard Malingue Gallery opens group exhibition 'In the Labyrinth'

Exhibition at Kunsthalle Basel presents a loose response to the iconic INFORMATION show at MoMA

Opera roars back with dueling Wagner premieres

The 10 most creative, best promotional items of all time

10 easy strategies to enhance your artistic abilities

Lesser-known facts about Libra you might not have known!

Gambling and Casino in the Art

World famous works of art about gambling




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful