The air in the Paris subway is too dirty! RATP deliberately puts passengers in danger?

The Respire association has taken Paris Transit (RATP) to court for not clearly informing passengers of the level of air pollution in the metro.

The Huffington Post reports that on March 22, the Respire association took Paris Transit (RATP) to court for "serious fraud" and "accidental injury. The association challenged the level of air pollution in the Paris metro.

The association believes that the air pollution in the Paris metro is very serious, and two air test reports for 2019 and 2021 show that the level of fine particles in the air of the Paris metro and RER is much higher than outside.

In January, the Respiratory Association said that the data from Paris Transit did not reflect the true level of pollution. The association said through a press release that all public transport passengers are exposed to significant health risks. Yet Paris Bus failed to alert passengers and inform them of the risks they faced. Given the seriousness of the facts, which constitute "serious fraud" and "accidental injury", the Association decided to appeal.

At some stations, air pollution was severe. At the Auber station on the RER A line, there were 500 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) of fine particles, a pollution index that is ten times the safety threshold. These fine particles are so dangerous that they can penetrate deep into the human body. These particles are mainly generated during subway braking.

Sensors to detect the level of air pollution were installed near the Châtelet station on Metro Line 4, Franklin-Roosevelt station on Line 1, and Aube station. At all but the Franklin-Roosevelt station, the air pollution index recorded by the Respiratory Association at the remaining two stations differed significantly from the values detected by Paris Bus. As a result, the Respiratory Society condemned Paris Transit for "failing to disclose serious air pollution conditions to the public.

But Paris Buses argued that the data from the three representative sites are readily available since April 2018. The company confirmed that underground air quality is "generally good".

Olivier Blond, head of the breathing association, said via AFP: "We want to take action with this. Ultimately, to protect the health and safety of millions of faithful subway passengers." The respiratory association stressed that studies have found that air pollution kills between 48,000 and 100,000 people each year.

In an interview with AFP, Paris Bus said that air quality in the metro has been a top concern for the company for more than 20 years. Since 1997, the company has continuously tested the air quality.

On March 23, Paris Buses replied to the Respiratory Association that the company rigorously tests the air quality of the underground network and that the data is transparent. Paris Buses also added that the company is experimenting with alternative braking systems to reduce the production of less particulate matter at source. Since 2012, the company has invested more than 85 million euros to replace and reinforce the underground ventilation system.