"The city is clearly polluted" by soot, said the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn Friday in Rouen, the day after the fire of Lubrizol factory classified Seveso.
Friday many Rouen residents were bothered by strong odors, causing nausea and even vomiting, after the fire broke out in the plant on Thursday morning. Some wore glove paper masks to circulate the streets.
REPORT - Fire in Rouen: "There is no excessive worry to have", according to firefighters
"I understand the population (...) products can be irritating at the moment," said the minister. "These are soot, like pollution, like patties for example tar on beaches," said Agnès Buzyn at a press point in Rouen.
"If we see tar cakes on the beaches, we will ask children not to touch them (...) Well it's the same thing we ask the residents today, that is to say clean up these soot, these dirt, visually very identifiable, to take precautions including gloves, "added the minister who spoke alongside the Minister of Environmental Transition Elizabeth Borne.
"I can not say there is no danger"
"It is a plant that produces hydrocarbons, even if they are not in large quantities, even if they are very close to the thresholds, it is never good for the population to touch this kind of products," said Agnès Buzyn. "I can not say there is no danger, there must be traces of oil," she said. "We will make transparent all the collections made yesterday and today," she said.
Élisabeth Borne for her part said that there was "no abnormal pollutants in the samples taken". "I am very surprised to see a fire in the middle of the night, in a place where there is nobody." I wonder, "said the CEO of Lubrizol France, after the visit of the two ministers, Frederick Henry.