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METRO

Air on Paris Metro system ‘ten times dirtier than outside’

The air quality on the Paris Metro is ten times worse than in the streets above, a report has revealed - and it's putting the health of the 26,000 workers on the city's underground transport system at risk.

Published: 18 September 2017 12:37 CEST
Air on Paris Metro system 'ten times dirtier than outside'
Paris Metro. Paul Roberts Photography/Flickr
As people living in Paris will know, taking a deep breath on the Metro isn't something to be recommended.
 
But what about those who spend all day working on the underground system?
 
Workers on the Paris Metro are trying to draw attention to the health risks involved in working on the city's underground public transport system as a result of the poor air quality.
 
The concentration of fine particles, that are considered dangerous to health, in the tunnels of the Metro and RER is nearly ten times that of outside, according to a report in Le Monde newspaper. 
 
And a previous report on the air in the Paris Metro system said it was four times worse than the notoriously smoggy Péripherique ring road.
 
On Friday, around 60 members of the workers' CFDT union handed out pamphlets intended to catch the attention of the morning rush hour crowd at Gare du Nord with the words, “Breathing in the tunnels of the metro and RER seriously damages your health”. 
 
“They're worried because it's their everyday lives. It's not just a question of health at work but also a question public health,” said Fabian Tosolini from the transport federation. 
 
 
READ ALSO:

Dirty air on Paris Metro poses health risk to staff

Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath, and can also affect lung function and worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease.
 
Nevertheless, according to their contracts staff can be exposed to fine particles at levels 100 times greater than the public. 
 
And unsurprisingly, it's the 26,000 staff members who work in the underground tunnels in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France who are at greatest risk. 
 
“For the workers in the tunnels when they blow their nose, it's completely black, it's like they're working in the mines,” said Tolosini. 
 
Public transport operator, RATP says it is doing what it can, and has been improving ventilation and modernising its installations. 
 
“It's a scandal,” said Tosolini, adding that fine particles kill 4,800 people every year. 
 

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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