I was very surprised to learn this is indeed true.
"As the flames engulfed the cathedral, a whopping 400 tonnes of lead from the roof and spire went up in smoke, according to French authorities."
"The decision to rebuild the spire and roof of Notre-Dame exactly as they had been in the 19th century by covering them in lead deepened the anger already felt by the members of Notre-Dame Lead and raised the eyebrows of politicians, non-profits and local residents.
To justify the decision, the institution in charge of restoring the cathedral, Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, ruled out any danger of direct exposure to the substance. “Covering the roof structures of the nave, the choir and two arms of the transept with lead does not expose any member of the public to lead, as they are located some forty metres from the ground and are inaccessible,” the institution told French daily newspaper La Croix in a December 2023 article, assuring it was taking the matter “very seriously”."
“But Notre-Dame was not the only location to be affected,” Toullier pointed out. “Lead levels were very high all around the cathedral, on metro platforms, in bookshops on the Place Saint-Michel and even in surrounding schools.”
At the end of summer 2019, Notre-Dame Lead reported levels of up to 123,000 μg/m², which represented 25 times the "standard" threshold of 5,000 µg/m² set by the regional health authority ARS, at the Place Saint-Michel, a 10-minute walk from the cathedral. “Yet no significant clean-up operation was carried out. It was as if the problem didn’t exist,” Toullier lamented.
“But what about run-off water from the roof, which will be laden with lead?” asked Thébaud-Mony. In a notice published in January 2021, the French High Council for Public Health estimated that “the roof of Notre-Dame alone … would emit around 21kg of lead per year (about two tonnes per century) in run-off water”.
“Lead could have been replaced by another substance like zinc or copper,” said Thébaud-Mony. “When alternatives exist, why choose lead and risk human health?” This was the case for the Chartres cathedral, destroyed by a fire in 1836. The original structure had lead roofing, which was replaced by copper when it was rebuilt. Though perceived as less stable, copper is significantly less toxic.
I was very surprised to learn this is indeed true.
"As the flames engulfed the cathedral, a whopping 400 tonnes of lead from the roof and spire went up in smoke, according to French authorities."
"The decision to rebuild the spire and roof of Notre-Dame exactly as they had been in the 19th century by covering them in lead deepened the anger already felt by the members of Notre-Dame Lead and raised the eyebrows of politicians, non-profits and local residents.
To justify the decision, the institution in charge of restoring the cathedral, Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, ruled out any danger of direct exposure to the substance. “Covering the roof structures of the nave, the choir and two arms of the transept with lead does not expose any member of the public to lead, as they are located some forty metres from the ground and are inaccessible,” the institution told French daily newspaper La Croix in a December 2023 article, assuring it was taking the matter “very seriously”."