In France, NPOs have drawn attention to Notre Dame's lead roof

During the restoration of the roof of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris (Notre-Dame-de-Paris) 460 kilograms of carcinogenic lead were used, which can be dangerous to human health. Benoit Martin, general secretary of the Paris branch of the General Confederation of Labor (UD-CGT) trade union Benoit Martin said on Tuesday, December 10.

"This is an irresponsible choice. Lead is very dangerous and poses a risk both to workers involved in the reconstruction and to residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and visitors to the cathedral," Martin told RIA Novosti.

According to him, after the cathedral burned down in 2019, harmful particles were detected in the air of Paris, resulting from the burning of lead.

Earlier, on December 7, it was reported that the opening ceremony of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris in Paris will be held indoors due to bad weather. The invitation to the opening ceremony was accepted by US President-elect Donald Trump. At the same time, the current President Joe Biden decided not to attend the event.

On the same day at the opening ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron during his speech expressed gratitude to all those who participated in the restoration of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. He also noted the merits of 340 thousand people who made donations for the restoration of the cathedral, and said that the fire affected not only French citizens, but also people outside France.

In April 2019, the largest fire in history occurred in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. The spire collapsed, the flames engulfed the supporting structure. As established by the investigation, the fire started at the top, where restoration work was underway at the time. The exact cause of the fire was not made public. In March 2023 it was reported about the completion of an important stage of restoration of Notre Dame de Paris: restorers mounted the spire of the cathedral. On December 31, 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in his New Year's address that the cathedral would be reopened to visitors on December 8, 2024.