the essential
Radioactive lightning rods were installed in France and in the department until 1986. A citizen inventory reported twelve devices in Ariège, some have since been removed, but on certain buildings doubt remains, faced with the fact that no official census is not carried out.
Church bell towers, town halls, private or public buildings are dominated by lightning rods, but some could be radioactive. More than 30,000 of this type were installed in France between 1932 and 1986 but no official count exists. A citizen census, the National Inventory of radioactive lightning rods (Inaparad), dating back a few years, counts around a dozen in the department.
Lightning rods are installed on buildings to protect them from lightning, by attracting it to the earth. Over the course of the 20th century, models containing Radium 226 or Americium 241 flourished. This addition, close to the tip, was to improve performance. Due to lack of proof of effectiveness, the manufacture and installation of these devices were banned in 1987. So, almost forty years later, where are we in relation to these infrastructures? How many are still in the department?
“There was never the need to take inventory”
“We have no inventory on this,” replies Damien Dubois, data manager for non-nuclear electronic waste packages at the National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (Andra). “It does not fit into our mission” and Christophe Dumas, charge d'affaires serving non-nuclear power producers, added: “The authorities never considered that this was a sufficient subject. There was never the need to make it 'inventory.” The problem is that the census is no one's job. The management of these installations is the responsibility of the building owners, some of whom are not aware of their presence, making them difficult to reference.
Faced with this difficulty, Jean-Christian Tirat, a Toulouse journalist, created Inaparad and a map listing radioactive lightning rods, supported by ASN, ANDRA and IRSN and involving more than 300 volunteers. . “It was an idea of general interest. When I asked why it wasn't recorded, I was told: 'It's not possible, you just have to do it yourself,' and that's what I did. I reported them to town halls and owners, some hung up on me. I was not taken seriously,” he recalls.
“I was the victim of death threats from scrap dealers”
His initiative, which he describes as a great adventure, even if time-consuming and expensive given all the travel, was put on hold. “Inaparad no longer exists. The website was hacked and I was the victim of death threats from scrap dealers. It had become more and more dangerous. For hacking, by pulling the wire, we arrive all the way to China, then the thread is broken”, regrets the journalist.
Thus, the map put online by Inaparad lists twelve radioactive lightning rods, from Pamiers to Guzet via Foix, but has not been updated for a certain number of years. Between changes of owners and mandates, it is difficult to know each person's situation. Private properties in the department could still have them. Of the twelve, at least five have since been removed. In Foix for example, those on the Banque de France, rue du Lieutenant Paul Delpech and the DDT, rue des Salenques have been filed. A radioactive lightning rod remains on the building housing La Poste and a medical office in Allées de Villote.
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A new lightning rod on the church tower
A device on the Orgibet bell tower was reported to the town hall when the map was created. Contacted, the municipality indicated the presence of a lightning rod “50 years old” and non-functional, without knowing if it was radioactive.
Other
“They are all old and deteriorating”
These lightning rods, from a “time when we used radioactivity for almost everything and nothing”, underlines Christophe Dumas, citing watches and alarm clocks from another time, are not necessarily dangerous. “We have banned plastic dishes, that's not why we have to throw them away. As long as they don't pose a risk of falling, there is no reason to put them away. This type of “objects, separated by a few meters, on the roof, do not present any risks”, assure Andra employees.
However, exposed to bad weather, the devices can be damaged, causing risks for the surrounding area. “They are all old and deteriorating. Radioactive elements can be found in nature,” explains the Toulouse resident. He criticizes the poor management of this problem: “They are afraid of being overwhelmed, when I alerted, I was told: “but you are going to panic people.” It is a problem which was very well managed in Switzerland and Belgium took charge of it and sent a letter to the municipalities for support.”
Andra employees indicate that since 2008, around ten radioactive lightning rods have been removed in the department. “We have never seen a lightning rod that has lost all its radioactivity,” Andra employees certify. Only companies specializing in the installation of lightning rods and approved by the Nuclear Safety Authority can remove these infrastructures, condition them and transport them. Andra then recovers the head, containing the radioactive components. It is transported to storage centers in Aube, in an approved and traced drum.
