Le Figaro Nice
Two months after the first alerts concerning olfactory nuisances felt in certain districts of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), their source has just been identified by the authorities. A road surfacing company located in the neighboring town of La Trinité, in the Oli industrial zone, was targeted following various cross-referenced and in-depth studies. At the beginning of February, residents reported suspicious smells of gas, rotten eggs, sulfur and even the scent of gasoline and even burning.
The complaints mainly arose from the popular district of Cimiez, in the north-east of the Riviera capital, but could have extended to that of the Libération, Rimiez and near the Pasteur hospital. These odors remained episodic but they appeared again as recently as last week. The mayors of Nice, Christian Estrosi, and La Trinité, Lasdilas Polski, had in turn designated the Seca company, a subsidiary of Eiffage-Colas which manufactures pitch-based bitumen. However, the first studies by Atmosud, a regional organization which monitors and studies air quality, did not confirm this lead.
Correlation
Additional investigations by the regional directorate for the environment, planning and housing (Dreal) ended up establishing
“a correlation”
, according to the prefecture, between the periods of bitumen production on this site and the various complaints for nauseating odors. Atmosud's refined modeling also located the source of the odors close to this power plant with a probability level of between 50 and 80%. Doubts were therefore no longer permitted and the mystery was finally lifted.
On March 26, Maralpin prefect Hugues Moutouh wrote to the managers of the Seca company to ask them to present within ten days
“the measures put in place on its site to comply with regulatory requirements in terms of reducing odors”
. These olfactory nuisances did not cause any health consequences in the health services and among Nice doctors, who still wanted to reassure the State services.