The school, the football stadium, gardens and their vegetables. Lead is still present in the four corners of Evin-Malmaison. New analyzes carried out by the team of the program Vert de Rage, broadcast on France 5, are very worrying. The results were presented last Friday to the inhabitants.
We do not know what this can generate
Hair from 29 children and 21 adults were analyzed for blood lead levels. The Canadian laboratory, Trichanalytics, concludes that the hair examined has a lead concentration 1381% higher than normal in children. “If our children are infected now, what will happen later? ? We do not know what this can generate“, asks Clarisse, whose son has a high lead rate.
we live in it so we got used to it
A hundred residents and elected officials came to the village hall to attend the restitution of the study. “I know what’s going on in Evin but we live in it so we got used to itdeplores Geoffroy, a resident of Evin for 43 years. But when we come to point out the dangerousness of the environment in which we live, it’s hard to realize in what situation we really live.”
Contaminated thyme and leeks
With regard to soils, their contamination would be 3 to 5 times higher than the threshold recommending a replacement of the land. This threshold is 300 mg/kg. According to this survey, it would be up to 774 times higher on the site of the old factory.
Thyme leaves and leeks were particularly scrutinized. Their lead content would be up to 91 times higher than the legal thresholds.
Lead can affect the nervous system, bone marrow and kidneys. The France 5 team, in collaboration with the toxicologist Jean-Marie Haguenoer, made an estimate based on data of the number of children with lead poisoning. They indicate that 5,815 children may have been affected between 1962 and 2020.
Judicial redress
In 2018, 87 residents of the town filed a complaint. This was rejected by the administrative court of Lille which considered that the damage to their health was not sufficiently demonstrated. These residents have appealed and the proceedings are ongoing.
The urban community of Hénin-Carvin is also trying to obtain compensation in court. The CAHC filed Complaint to claim remediation of polluted land or damages. To date, no court decision has yet been taken in this case.
I’m going to leave and sell my house
Should I stay or flee? Many residents are now leaning towards the second option, “I’m going to leave and sell my house before the France 5 documentary comes out in September, otherwise it won’t be worth anything“, testifies Alison.
This option is also considered by Geoffroy whose two children are educated in Evin, “I don’t care about receiving compensation, what I want is for my children to grow up in complete safety without health risks.”