- A fire ravaged the Lubrizol factory in Rouen on September 26, 2019. A total of 9,505 tonnes of chemicals had burned, causing a 22 km-long black smoke cloud.
- Members of the Lubrizol disaster victims association analyzed the data communicated by the company concerning the products present on the site.
- They discovered that out of 628 products stored, the company only transmitted 479 safety data sheets. And some are incomplete.
They could have just sent an email to the investigating judge. But Sébastien Duval and Simon Carvalho wanted to come to Paris, this Thursday, to bring to the magistrate in charge of the judicial information on the fire of the Lubrizol factory the fruit of their work. Both members of the Lubrizol disaster association, they analyzed, for four months, the multitude of data relating to the composition of the products present on the site. They worked from the list provided by the company and published on the Seine-Maritime prefecture site in the form of an Excel table. "Chinese," says Simon Carvalho, president of the association. Above all, he adds, "there are a lot of things missing".
In total, 9,505 tonnes of chemicals had burned in the fire, on September 26, 2019, which had caused a 22 km long cloud of black smoke. First discovery: out of 628 products consumed by the flames, the company only transmitted 479 safety data sheets. These documents, says the prefecture, "specify the characteristics of the products and the associated risks, particularly in the event of combustion". 149 products are therefore "completely unknown", they denounce in a report consulted by 20 Minutes .
“Incomplete” composition
“The prefecture kept saying that the products that had burned were not toxic. How can she be certain when, precisely, we don't know them all? », Underlines Simon Carvalho. On the other hand, out of the 479 safety data sheets transmitted, only three products are "completely known". The composition of 309 others is "incomplete", and that of 167 "uncertain". The association also notes, in the document given to the examining magistrate, that "dangerous substances are not mentioned in the safety data sheets, although we know that they are actually present in the products". Indeed, these sheets sometimes indicate "occupational diseases linked to the product", explains Sébastien Duval.
According to the association's research, some of these occupational diseases can be caused, for example, by benzene, a very volatile colorless liquid known for its toxicity. Their discoveries intrigue as much as they frighten. "Farmers in the region export their products all over France," notes Sébastien Duval. How then can we be sure that the fruits and vegetables produced are not unhealthy? he wonders.
"Latent anxiety among the population"
And how to understand the decision to reopen the factory? "There has been latent anxiety among the population since the fire, people are on edge," said the man who is also administrator of the Facebook group "Collectif Lubrizol", with 26,000 members.
Simon Carvalho and Sébastien Duval would like the examining magistrates to analyze this data again and "order Lubrizol to send them all the information" concerning the composition of the products that have gone up in smoke.
Lubrizol France was indicted at the end of February for "spillage of harmful substances" and for shortcomings in the operation of its factory which caused "serious damage" to the environment.
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