The phenomenon causes the perplexity of many Parisians and inhabitants of Île-de-France. Sunday evening, testimonies of Ile-de-France residents multiplied on social networks to report an unpleasant smell, often compared to a smell of sulfur or rotten egg.
“Very very strong smell of sulfur in Paris and its immediate suburbs. I had headaches just by opening the windows, ”said a surfer on Twitter. "But what is that smell in Paris? It looks like a mixture between an insect burnt in a halogen flagpole and the old Brussels sprout ”, reacted another.
Very very strong smell of sulfur in Paris and its immediate suburbs. I had headaches just by opening the windows. @PompiersParis @Anne_Hidalgo @afpfr @le_Parisien what's going on?
- PEYRAT David (@PEYRATDavid) May 10, 2020Our journalists, scattered all over the region, also smelled the famous scent.
But what is this smell in Paris? It looks like a mixture between burnt insect in a halogen flagpole and the old Brussels sprout 😷 Several friends also point it out to me at various points in the IDF
- Marie Boscher (@BoscherMarie) May 10, 2020A link with the big thunderstorms of the night?
Contacted by Le Parisien, the Paris firefighters indicate having received numerous calls because of this phenomenon, without being able to explain the cause with certainty. "It seems related to the bad weather last night because other departments make this observation", they advanced a little after 11pm.
Interrogated on this subject, the first deputy at the town hall of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire explained that "no fire or industrial incident" had been reported and that "the sulphurous odor could be linked to heavy precipitation".
.No fire or industrial incident has been reported. The “sulfur” odor could be linked to heavy precipitation. Checks in progress.
- Emmanuel GREGOIRE (@egregoire) May 10, 2020"It could be linked to the mixing of sewerage networks because of the heavy rains which brings up the decomposition gases," he then added, while stressing that this "hypothesis (remains) to be confirmed".
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And to add a few minutes later on BFM TV that another "hypothesis" could be "an industrial incident not declared" but that at this stage it was not privileged. "There is no reason to be alarmed," said Emmanuel Grégoire again.