Air pollution: French woman sues Paris over health damage

New Delhi: A French woman suffering from chronic respiratory problems is suing the city of Paris accusing it of failing to protect her health from air pollution.

Clotilde Nonnez, an asthmatic 56-year-old, told AFP that she had "nearly died" when air pollution hit record levels in Paris in December 2016.

Her breathing difficulties had triggered "a serious cardiac problem" she said, adding: "I'm still not over it".

Her lawyer Francois Lafforgue said his client was seeking 140,000 euros (USD 158,000) for the damage to her health caused by the state's "culpable incompetence" on pollution.

"Her life (has) been heavily disrupted by her medical problems, spells in hospital during during peaks (in pollution) and her ongoing treatment," he said, adding that poor air quality had also increased her chance of getting cancer.

The 56-year-old yoga teacher says she has lived in the capital for 30 years and seen her health deteriorate.

Air pollution is blamed for around 48,000 premature deaths in France each year.

"The victims are invisible so we hope this case will force the authorities to take the full measure of the problem," said Olivier Blond, the president of the environmentalist group Respire (Breathe).

Nonnez accuses the state of failing to get tough on polluters and of not overseeing the proper implementation of preventive measures already in place.

"What I'm hoping for is that the authorities will admit to their failure to manage the problem going back years," she said.

While she is the first such plaintiff to come forward, Lafforgue said around 30 others in Paris, the northern city of Lille and around the southeastern city of Lyon were also planning legal action.

Even as Paris struggled for years to combat high levels of smog, 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.

(With Agency inputs)