A fire broke out at the Lubrizol plant on the night of September 26, 2019. The plant, located in the Rouen port area, specializes in the manufacture of lubricant additives. The fire produced a large plume of smoke that rose high above the site and then drifted northeast, affecting the Normandy and Hauts-de-France regions.

Specific health monitoring was implemented by Santé publique France to detect any unusual increases in emergency care visits for target conditions in the Normandy and Hauts-de-France regions. This monitoring relies on data from emergency departments and SOS Médecins associations via the Sursaud® system.

Key Points

• The specific health surveillance, initiated following the fire, continues in the Rouen metropolitan area and the Hauts-de-France region.

• Activity in emergency departments and at SOS Médecins is similar to what is typically observed at this time of year.

• The number of reports has decreased significantly since October 10, though there were occasional but significant spikes on October 20 and October 26.

• Poison control centers recorded 7 new cases from October 11, 2019, to October 27, 2019.

• SAMU 76 activity appears to have returned to its usual level since October 7.