RATP data does not reflect the actual levels of pollution in the metro, affirms the Respire association on Wednesday, which is based on tests carried out in several stations by a CNRS researcher.
"
Air pollution inside metro stations is worrying,
" worries Respire in a press release.
At the end of 2019, the association published figures according to which "
air pollution inside the metro is reaching enormous levels, up to 10 times higher than on the surface
".
Read also: Air pollution: the state against the wall
The Respire association and the autonomous union of RATP (SAT-RATP) asked Jean-Baptiste Renard, research director at LPC2E-CNRS in Orléans, to take measurements with a device he developed and which is used to detect fine particles, "
between September 24 and December 2, 2020
".
It emerges, according to Respire, that the data does not correspond to those of the RATP in certain stations (and in particular Châtelet), that "
the sensors of the RATP do not reveal the very high peaks
", that within a same station with connections "
the values can vary from simple to triple
" or that "
the RER stations seem particularly polluted
".
Poorly maintained sensors
For the association, the RATP air quality monitoring system is based on “
current, poorly maintained and inefficient sensors (which) do not give a realistic picture of the pollution situation in stations
”.
It demands that a "
real air quality monitoring system be put in place and that its data be permanently accessible to the public
".
"
Measuring the seriousness of the problem is the first step to be able to solve it
", notes Olivier Blond, director of the association, quoted in the press release.