French government sued by air pollution victim
A 56-year-old citizen in Paris, France has sued the government for failing to protect her health against the harmful effects of air pollution.
Clotilde Nonnez, a yoga teacher, says she has seen her health deteriorate in the 30 years that she spent living in the French capital. However, it became worse than ever when pollution in Paris hit record levels last December.
According to her lawyer, air pollution is causing 48,000 French deaths per year. François Lafforgue said in an interview with a local newspaper that they are taking the state to task because they think the medical problems that pollution victims suffer as a result of the authorities’ lack of action in tacking air pollution.
More cases would be brought in the coming weeks, in Lyon, Lille and elsewhere, he added.
Paris has struggled for years to combat high levels of smog and the authorities have introduced fines for any vehicle not carrying a “Crit’Air” emissions category sticker – part of a scheme to promote lower-emitting vehicles.
Several routes in the capital now have restrictions on car use and a 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) stretch of the Right Bank of the River Seine has become pedestrianized.
Nonnez says she has led a healthy life, first as a dancer and more recently as a yoga teacher, but has increasingly suffered from respiratory problems, ranging from chronic asthma to pneumonia.
When pollution hit the worst levels for a decade last December, her existing bronchial condition prompted an acute pericarditis attack. In an interview with a local news channel, she said according to the doctor treating her, the air in Paris is so polluted that they are breathing rotten air. The doctor also has other patients like her, including children and babies too. Her cardiologist says the same as well, she added.
