Out of more than 1,200 screenings conducted in schools in districts exposed to air pollution, 13 cases of lead poisoning (blood lead levels of 50 µg/L or higher) were detected. Lead levels in children living near Notre-Dame were similar to those estimated in the general population and lower than those found in children screened in Paris between 2015 and 2018¹. While environmental investigations conducted around the 13 children with lead poisoning cannot rule out exposure linked to the fire, they revealed, for all children with lead poisoning, a source of lead exposure independent of the fire.

From April to the end of December 2019: 50 times more screenings conducted and 13 cases of childhood lead poisoning detected

Following the fire, an enhanced health surveillance system was implemented, and prevention and management measures were recommended by the Île-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS). Following the ARS’s recommendations for lead poisoning screening, monitoring of children’s blood lead levels was conducted starting in June 2019 by Santé publique France Île-de-France, in collaboration with the Paris Poison Control and Toxicovigilance Center (CAPTV). This monitoring involved describing screening activity between April 15 and December 31, 2019, the blood lead levels of screened children, the number of cases of childhood lead poisoning, and the identified sources of poisoning for these cases. The results published today show that:

• Between April 15 and December 31, 2019, 1,222 initial blood lead level tests were conducted on children aged 0 to 17 residing in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6^th, and 7th arrondissements of Paris covered by the screening recommendations.

• The number of children tested for the first time was 50 times higher than the annual average recorded between 2015 and 2018 in these arrondissements by the National Surveillance System for Lead Levels in Children (SNSPE) of the CAPTV of Île-de-France.

• 83% of children residing on the Île de la Cité and 34% residing in the area with the highest dust fallout were screened.

• Among the 1,222 children screened, 13 (1.5%) had blood lead levels of 50 μg/L or higher, a level defining lead poisoning and requiring mandatory reporting, an environmental investigation, and protective measures.

• The lead exposure levels of the children screened around Notre-Dame, however, were similar to those estimated in the general population among children under 7 years of age in the Saturn-Inf study in 2009 and among children aged 6 to 10 years in the Esteban study in 2014–2016.

An environmental survey to identify potential sources of exposure

The 13 children with lead poisoning were identified in the 1^st, 4th, 5th, 6^th, and 7^th arrondissements. Blood samples were collected between 33 and 214 days after the cathedral fire (144 days on average), and for 50% of the children, nearly 5 months after the fire. No correlation was observed between the measured blood lead level and the time interval between the date of the fire and the blood draw. The children were aged 9 months to 7 years and attended different schools or were cared for at home or in daycare. The environmental investigation conducted at each child’s home—involving 12 households—showed that:

• The main sources of exposure for children with lead poisoning, identified during the environmental investigation, were numerous (ranging from 1 to 5 possible sources depending on the child).

• The identified sources of lead are those typically found in older Parisian housing, with a high frequency of laminated lead cladding on the balconies or terraces of the dwellings (10 out of 13 cases).

• No source directly linked to the fire could be identified.