by Kiana Marr, MAEUS student
This blog post was written for the course
"Dialogue on Europe" during the Fall 2019 semester.
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| Photo Credit: user LeLaisserPasser A38, via Creative Commons License found here. |
On April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame Cathedral located in the heart of Paris went up in flames. The outpouring of support came not only in social media posts, but also through monetary funds from various nations, individuals, and organizations. After April, most of the world moved on to other world crises and away from the 14th-century cathedral; France, however, did not. Cleanup efforts and reconstruction will continue for the foreseeable future, while Emmanuel Macron hopes to complete the project in the next five years. While the city, nation and the world has focused on rebuilding a symbol of France, a greater concern is perhaps the public health crisis resulting from the literal fallout of the fire.
Yet, the support has been surrounding the site itself fails to encapsulate all the problems the fire produced in France, such as the toxic dust that has fallen around Paris. The public's concern revolves around the air and water being contaminated with tons of lead, which was transferred from the cathedral and into the general Parisian environment.
The fire on the roof and spire dispersed lead dust to the surrounding areas. The New York Times has highlighted the five-month delayed response by French officials in disclosing the possible health effects the fire has caused to the public. A month after the fire, the first test was conducted finding that at least eighteen preschools, day care centers, and primary schools were affected by the falling dust. Around the Notre Dame cathedral lead dust deposits were more than 1000 times higher than national safety guidelines. Within this small neighborhood of Paris, 6000 children under the age of six live and play. Some French officials state that these tests may underscore a deeper issue within Paris by exposing historical lack of testing. Because many of the locations in the area have not recently been tested, the high results may also be an indicator that pre-fire lead levels may have also been above safe levels.
Various candidates running for mayor have highlighted the concerns of lead pollution within Paris. David Belliard (EELV) calls for real-time mapping of air pollution with his concept of "Airparif", allowing the city to act faster, with better transparency for the citizens of France and the European Union. According to the World Health Organization, 40 million people within the 115 largest cities of the EU are being exposed to air quality below guidelines. Health authorities in France do not require testing on children who may have been exposed---only sites in the surrounding neighborhoods have been tested. While these tests have resulted in the closing of certain facilities for decontamination procedures, the health risks for the residents and the workers have not been fully considered.
While the world community continues to support the French with rebuilding efforts---Chinese experts have pledged to aid with the reconstruction due to their experience restoring fire-damaged historical buildings, and the World Monuments Fund has listed the site on a list of prominent at-risk sites in desperate need of financial support---the most important concern may actually be the long-term health effects of the people that call the Parisian neighborhood surrounding Notre Dame home.
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