Since the fire at the Lubrizol factory in Rouen on September 26, the inhabitants of the surrounding area have remained worried. Although the State announced the compensation of the most affected farmers from November 18, in particular milk producers, individuals feel forgotten. During the disaster, 9050 Tons of chemicals Cooked on fire. A dense 22 kilometer cloud of black smoke had formed for several days, causing inconvenience such as irritation of the respiratory tract or a foul odor.
A little over a month after the accident, the cloud of smoke has disappeared but not the fear of the inhabitants of Seine-Maritime, nor the odors, still reported on October 20 . According to 20 Minutes, the results of an analysis on the air a Revealed dioxin levels four times higher than normal during the fire in the town of Préaux. But the Minister of Health, Agnès Buzin, wants to be reassuring, affirming that these dioxin levels remain “below the thresholds of toxicity”.
Within a radius of ten kilometers around the factory, there are several protected and classified areas and various natural environments. In addition, the Seine, which crosses the city, empties directly into the Atlantic Ocean. As a precautionary measure, food, dairy products and cereals intended for livestock feed are withdrawn from the market. They are reintroduced a few days later, on October 18, after the analyzes carried out are deemed to be compliant by the authorities. However, and despite certain levies, the possible damage to wild fauna and flora cannot be provisioned and surely never will be. It will be necessary to wait a few years and to know exactly all the chemicals that have gone up in smoke to fully realize the potential long-term environmental consequences.
The inhabitants of the department are asking questions about these toxic fumes and the consequences that can result from breathing these substances. Several dozen people from Rouen complained of respiratory problems in the days following the disaster.
“Extensive investigations well beyond the health control usually carried out by the ARS on the search for chemical substances in tap water have been carried out since September 26. They show the absence or presence in very low concentrations and well below the health reference values, of the products sought. – Source:https://www.gouvernement.fr/transparence-rouen
Even if the health and government authorities want to be reassuring, residents inconvenienced by the smoke have started to meet and gather collectively to assert their rights via platforms such as Docditoo.
On October 25, the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe went to Rouen to supervise the signing of agreements by the CEO of Lubrizol, Eric Shnur, to compensate the professionals affected by the consequences of the fire. Representatives of traders and farmers say they are rather satisfied with the 50 million euros released but for them; not everything is settled yet.
Since Tuesday, October 26, 2019, the investigation has been carried out by three magistrates from the public health department of the Paris court so that all the light is shed on this disaster. Few elements of the investigation have filtered since the disaster apart from the number of videos analyzed; around sixty and one hundred witnesses heard. The Paris prosecutor's office specifies that at the time of speaking, there is no element to explain the origin of this tragedy. A complaint has been filed against X.
Guest of Europe 1 on October 23, 2019, the Secretary of State to the Minister for Ecological and Solidarity Transition Emmanuelle Wargon reacts to the Lubrizol disaster and the decontamination operations started on October 22. "Operations are carried out with great care, specialized transport, a processing unit that knows how to do...". An operation that will last at least two months and which does not reassure the residents of the factory or the players in the agri-food industry in the region. However the Secretary of State adds:"The results we have so far are reassuring and there are still the medium and long term assessments and that is still a little early to say. »
A statement without major announcement which however continues a speech of the State announcing that a health survey will be carried out from March 2020. This survey will relate to the populations that the cloud flew over the days following the fire. It will concern 215 municipalities. However, no immediate blood tests are planned on the inhabitants of these geographical areas.
To demand more transparency and clarity about the disaster, more than 500 people gathered; according to the police, in front of the Rouen courthouse on October 26.
Already a month and neither the government nor Lubrizol really seem to have any concrete insight into the possible evolution of events. Only time and further analysis can shed light on the aftermath of this catastrophe.
This November 14; the state has announced that it will begin compensating affected farmers this month.
