Notre-Dame's Toxic Fallout

[Zorro]

The April fire that engulfed Notre-Dame contaminated the cathedral site with clouds of toxic dust and exposed nearby schools, day care centers, public parks and other parts of Paris to alarming levels of lead.

The lead came from the cathedral’s incinerated roof and spire, and it created a public health threat that stirred increasing anxiety in Paris throughout the summer.

Five months after the fire, the French authorities have refused to fully disclose the results of their testing for lead contamination, sowing public confusion, while issuing reassuring statements intended to play down the risks.

Their delays and denials have opened the authorities to accusations that they put reconstruction of the cathedral — which President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to complete in five years — ahead of the health of thousands of people.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/14/world/europe/notre-dame-fire-lead.html

[SCVDem]

1. Like the late Twin Towers,

It will take over 5 years to decide on a design.

The spire was a later add on.

Lead solder would not be a surprise.

America is not the shining example of how to handle a toxic "pile". We also lied to the workers. Now many are dead.

[Scruffy1]

2. It's a lot more than solder.

Lead was a widely used roofing material for centuries. It was still being used in both residential and commercial roofing in my lifetime.