The inhabitants of Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône (Val-d'Oise) were surprised to see about fifteen firefighters disembark on Saturday, including specialists in nuclear risks.
Blame it on ... stones, found by a man in his barn, reports
Le Parisien
.
He accidentally discovered pebbles containing radioactive uranium crystals.
The owner of the premises has been examined by doctors and should contact the National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste (Andra).
It is forbidden to get rid of substances of this type in recycling centers.
Stones containing uranium are not harmful, it takes prolonged daily exposure to radioactivity to see an impact on health.
A rare find in the region
According to the regional association Micromonteurs, this type of discovery remains rare in Ile-de-France.
"We discover uranium especially in places where mines were once located such as Morvan, Loire, Brittany or Limousin", explains the president of the association Jean Leconte to the Paris daily.
But France no longer directly exploits uranium.
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Radioactivity
Firefighters
Unusual
Paris
Cergy