"Bad smell", "like a grilled insect on a halogen" ... Thousands of Ile-de-France residents described this unpleasant sensation that stung their nostrils on Sunday evening and until Monday morning. 24 hours later, there is still no certainty about the origin of this painful aroma, only hypotheses.
"Not sure that we can determine exactly a cause. However, we know that there is no danger to health, the sensors did not beep either in the air or in the water ”, comments Emmanuel Grégoire, the first deputy (PS) of the town hall of Paris.
The environmental protection association Robin des Bois points an accusing finger at Total's facilities: "For us, we have to look at the sites of Grandpuits (Seine-et-Marne) and Gargenville (Yvelines ), says its president Jacky Bonnemains. The Grandpuits refinery, which had been shutdown since March 1, may have tested last weekend, the Gargenville site stores petroleum products and extracts sulfur products before delivering kerosene by pipeline to in Roissy. There could have been releases. "
The environmental activist, specialist in industrial risk, remembers the precedent of March 2018: an incident on one of the Grandpuits installations had caused the smell of sulfur gas, clear rotten egg, for miles around.
Total denies
This time, Total denies being involved. “The two sites immediately carried out surveys over their entire perimeter. Nothing abnormal has happened. Confirmation was given to the DRIEE (regional and interdepartmental department of the environment and energy) this Monday morning that the odor did not come from these sites, "said one at the oil giant.
Nothing that is enough to reassure Jacky Bonnemains: "After a long period of stoppage when we feel that the priority is the speed of resumption of activity even classified industrial tools, we can fear with the resumption of more serious accidents and more spectacular. We remain vigilant. "
The mayor of Paris has dismissed the undeclared industrial accident: "In the event of an incident, we could not have missed an event of this magnitude," said Emmanuel Grégoire. This odor could be linked to the mixing of the sewerage networks because of the heavy rains which will have caused the decomposition gases to rise, ”says the elected official.
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This idea does not convince the NGO Robins des Bois, “not for a smell felt on such a large perimeter. We cannot dismiss the olfactory testimony of thousands of Ile-de-France residents with the back of their hands, ”insists Jacky Bonnemains.
Pollution has remained below alert and danger thresholds
Same skeptical reaction from Jean-Baptiste Renard, director of research at the CNRS at the laboratory of physics and chemistry of the environment and space: “We know how to recognize the smell of sewers that repress. Nothing to do with the grilled insect, he notes. If it smells hot, it's because there has been combustion. I imagine that there was a release from an incinerator, a thermal power plant, or any plant, whether involuntary or voluntary. We might have wanted to take advantage of the very strong winds to dispel the odors. "
AirParif's sensors did not notice anything, which means that the pollution remained below alert and danger thresholds. "The human nose is a much thinner instrument," slips the researcher.