Following the discovery of lead in certain paintings at the Edelweiss nursery, the City closed the structure this Friday in order to carry out work. While waiting for the reopening in January, the children will be accommodated in another nursery.
The City of Montpellier carried out a diagnosis on Friday, December 13 to measure the possible presence of lead in the Edelweiss crèche, located at 21 rue du Général Riu, next to Boulevard de Strasbourg, and built in the 19th century.
These analyses, received on Monday, December 16, found that lead is present in the paint of certain woodwork and moldings. These analyzes do not show any significant deterioration.
The risk for children attending the crèche is limited, as it is a municipal crèche where children are under the constant supervision of adults (direct ingestion of paint flakes being the main cause of poisoning in children) and very strict cleaning and ventilation protocols.
Work and sanitary measures immediately undertaken
Given the situation, the City of Montpellier immediately took the following measures:
– Welcoming parents this morning at the Edelweiss nursery to explain the situation as well as the recommended screening and precautionary measures. The explanations are provided by health professionals from the Pôle Petite Enfance, supported by the Municipal Hygiene and Health Service.
– Early closure of the crèche this Tuesday, December 17 at 5 p.m. to hold an information meeting with staff.
– Launch of protection work by specialized companies in the coming days: covering with placo and glued covering in particular. Final work, such as stripping, will be planned this summer.
– Monitoring the situation of families facing complex custody issues, until a return to normal.
An information meeting for families will be organized this Wednesday, December 18 at the Town Hall, in the presence of Tasnime Akbaraly, deputy mayor, delegate for early childhood, to discuss the implementation of screening of children in the crèche and the work undertaken in the establishment.
Close monitoring of the health situation
Beyond these preventive and curative measures, the situation of children currently attending the crèche will be closely monitored.
If the thresholds are abnormal, the ARS will communicate the results and investigations will be launched on children who previously attended the nursery. For children who attended nursery during previous periods, the risk is in fact even more limited since they are no longer exposed.
However, parents can, if they wish, carry out a blood lead measurement, with a prescription from the general practitioner. Concerning daycare professionals, the risks are almost non-existent and systematic screening is not necessary. However, young women and pregnant women will be invited to take a blood lead measurement, in conjunction with preventive medicine. The F3SCT (specialized training in health, safety and working conditions) will be informed of these medical procedures.
The quality of life at work department and the early childhood center of the City of Montpellier are also fully mobilized to answer questions from professionals and families.
The nursery should reopen at the beginning or mid-January, after finalizing the work and carrying out a post-work inspection, allowing all reservations to be lifted.
