Brouillards toxiques : contre-enquête sur une histoire de déni | Alexis Zimmer, Julien Théry

·44 min·4 clips

In 1930, a toxic fog killed dozens in Belgium, but authorities blamed natural causes—what really happened?

The episode begins by describing the 1930 toxic fog in Belgium's Meuse Valley, which caused dozens of sudden deaths, with initial authorities blaming natural causes. Host introduces guest Alexis Zimmer, a professor at the University of Liège and author of 'Brouillard toxique', who frames the fog as part of a continuous process rather than an isolated event. Zimmer explains how the World Health Organization later cited it as evidence of air pollution mortality but treated it as exceptional. He details prior incidents in the valley, like in 1897 and 1902, showing a pattern of industrial harm. The conversation shifts to environmental history, tracing its origins to the 1970s U.S. crises and its focus on historicity of environmental categories. Zimmer discusses how scientific expertise in 1930 excluded evidence of long-term contamination in bodies and vegetation, highlighting the partiality of such knowledge. He connects this to the rise of bacteriology and toxicology in the 19th century, which allowed industrialization to proceed by attributing diseases to microbes or chemicals rather than broader environmental changes. The episode critiques how scientific knowledge has been used to disqualify profane or popular expertise, as seen in 1850s contestations in the Meuse Valley. Zimmer argues that this division of knowledge enables harm, citing examples like cigarette manufacturers using science to deny cancer links. He emphasizes the need for humility in science, warning against 'stupidity' from overconfidence. The discussion touches on related works, such as Max Liboiron's 'Polluer, c'est coloniser' and Isabelle Stengers' ideas on ecology of knowledge. It concludes by linking historical cases to modern issues like COVID-19 and indigenous knowledge, advocating for recomposition of diverse knowledge practices to address environmental crises.

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