Paris health official Arnaud Gauthier said that the cleaning had been ordered "to reassure us that the risk is minimal," adding that the levels of lead pollution caused by the April fire at Notre-Dame were not a cause for alarm. There have been several scares over lead pollution since the blaze, with many locals fearing that the melting lead from the roof had ended up in the air they were breathing. READ ALSO IN PICTURES: See the latest images from inside fire-ravaged Notre DameThe rescue operation inside the cathedral. One result -- in the private Sainte-Catherine elementary school -- showed lead at a level of 698 micrograms per m2, 10 times higher than the limit of 70 microgrammes which is considered dangerous. In June the French health authorities advised parents living in central Paris with young children and pregnant women to get their lead levels tested after an abnormally high level was detected in a child in the area.

Source: The Local July 18, 2019 13:07 UTC