Science at UM [S02-ep21]: Living with Industrial Pollution
This week on *A l’UM la science*, Christelle Gramaglia, a sociologist at the G-Eau laboratory, discusses her book *Living with Industrial Pollution: Citizen Experiences and Measurements of Contamination*. A program broadcast on Divergence FM 93.9 every Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Today, we look back on a memory. It was in Rouen on the night of September 25–26, 2019, when a major fire broke out at the Lubrizol plant, classified as a Seves facility (France Info), immediately reigniting the painful trauma of the AZF disaster. That night, 5,000 tons of chemicals went up in smoke as local residents watched in disbelief and horror. A stark spotlight on the threat posed by the chemical industry. But what about sites where no disaster draws attention? How do people structure their daily lives when they live near polluting industries? How do they coexist with these potentially toxic chemical residues? What strategies—if any—do people develop to protect themselves? And why do they stay in these dangerous areas? These are some of the questions our guest has explored through a series of groundbreaking investigations in France, Spain, and Portugal. Christelle Gramaglia is a sociologist at INRAE in the G-eau laboratory; she has studied the social and ecological consequences of this chronic contamination and presents her findings in an original and fascinating book titled Living with Industrial Pollution: Citizen Experiences and Measurements of Contamination, published by Presse des Mines in January 2023.
At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Production: Naomi Charmetan
Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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