She Considered Buying Simple Furniture on Leboncoin, But Discovered It Was Radioactive, Triggering a National Emergency

[Article déjà publié le 17
juillet 2025]

On private sales sites, good deals are sometimes mixed with unsuspected vestiges of industrial history. Alarm clocks from another century, forgotten vials, and innocuous furniture can hide relics loaded with once commonplace substances. It is in this context that radioactive objects on Leboncoin were recently discovered by a buyer from Tours, revealing the persistent residues of an era when radium illuminated the dials without arousing concern.

When radioactivity hides in everyday objects

In May 2025, a resident of Tours was simply thinking of furnishing her home at a low price. The two pieces she had purchased on Leboncoin appeared to be in good condition, but their contents quickly aroused her concern. In one of the drawers, she noticed a symbol well known to specialists. A black clover indicating a radiological danger, accompanied by an explicit mention, “danger of death”. Inside, luminescent alarm clocks and suspicious vials were hidden among various objects, vestiges of another time.

This scene worthy of a film, however, has a very real explanation. According to La Nouvelle République, the sellers were emptying the house of their recently deceased father. A watchmaker by trade, the man owned several pieces dating from the 1940s, a time when radium was still used to make the dials of watches, alarm clocks and night sighting instruments phosphorescent. Invisible to the naked eye, the risks linked to these ancient objects are now well documented.

The discovery of radioactive objects on Leboncoin puts the authorities on alert

After calling for help, the resident saw the mobile radiological intervention unit arriving from Chinon. The operation mobilized nine vehicles and led to the launch of the Orsec plan by the prefecture. This protocol only applies when the population may be exposed to a major risk. On site, experts confirmed the presence of radium in detectable quantities in the objects. Commander Éric Foussard, specialist in radiological risks in Indre-et-Loire, specified that this type of substance becomes dangerous if it is damaged or touched without protection.

Even if the dose detected was described as “minimal”, the National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste (Andra) had to organize the management of the contaminated objects. While awaiting their evacuation, access to the house was therefore prohibited, forcing its owner to relocate. A justified precaution according to firefighters, who point out that the alpha particles emitted by radium, although not very penetrating, become problematic when they are inhaled or ingested.

Old waste, modern sectors, how are they handled today?

This type of incident is not an isolated case, although it remains rare. Each year, Andra collects several dozen radioactive objects discovered in cellars, attics or flea markets. The agency regularly carries out awareness campaigns on the possible presence of radium in old objects. Individuals are invited to never attempt to dismantle or open this type of object, and to contact a specialized collection center as soon as any doubt remains.

This case raises a broader question about the traceability of objects sold between individuals. If platforms like Leboncoin offer great freedom of exchange, they impose no control on the origin or composition of goods. In the absence of strict regulations, only individual vigilance can prevent dangerous materials from circulating without supervision. It’s a quiet but powerful reminder that some seemingly innocuous objects retain a toxic memory of the past.