The lighting of the Olympic torch this week comes amid a "dampening" of enthusiasm for the Paris Games in an increasingly "fractious" France, said commentators. "We're ready for this final straight," said Paris Olympics chief organizer Tony Estanguet at a press conference to mark the 100-day countdown. But the French capital's "often hard-to-please residents appear in no mood for a party yet," said France 24. 

Security threats and fecal pollution 
With the clock ticking down until the Games kick off on July 26, France's "bitter politics and gloomy mindset are dampening the mood" among a "fractious" public, said The Japan Times. The buildup has been marred by issues that go to the "heart of a bitter national debate about identity and race." 

Security fears are also growing amid mounting global tensions. President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the opening ceremony might be moved from the River Seine to a new location if the authorities decide that the risk of an attack, potentially by drones, is too great. Asked if the Kremlin would seek to disrupt the Olympics, Macron said he had "no doubt." 

Another potential threat is sewage pollution in the Seine, where swimming events are due to take place. In an analysis by the Surfrider Foundation, only one out of 14 water samples from the river were found to be safe for swimming. Bacteria, including "pollution of fecal origin," remains dangerously high in the river. 

'Mountains of skepticism' 
The International Olympic Committee has "mountains of skepticism to dispel" in France and beyond, said The Associated Press. The $13 billion cost of the 2021 Tokyo Games and the "unfulfilled promises of beneficial change" for 2016 host Rio de Janeiro triggered widespread anger, and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi were "tarnished by Russian doping." 

But many previous predictions of Olympics doom have proved incorrect. Journalists emit "cyclical loud buzzing noises before every set of Summer Games," said George Vecsey at The New York Times in 2004. Reporters will "continue to fret on schedule" because it's "in our job description." 

Estanguet acknowledged last week that "before this kind of big event, there are always many questions, many concerns." But the Paris edition, he said, would make his nation proud.

Lead exposure is more common than people may think. "In 2024, one of the most potent neurotoxins known to humanity persists all over the world as a public health threat," said Vox. Yes, that potent neurotoxin is lead. 

Where is lead still prevalent?
The frequentness of lead in everyday life may come as a surprise. The metal is practically everywhere and is a bigger problem in developing nations. "So much of the food that we eat is coming from all over the world," Stephen Luby, who studies lead pollution at Stanford University, said to Vox. "We are deluding ourselves if we think we can push pollution problems to low-­income countries and not worry about it."

"Lead in the drinking water is still a problem in many parts of the U.S.," said NPR. Though lead has been banned from water pipes since 1986, many of the country's homes were built before that year. "When it's hidden in our water and people don't have good information about lead in their water, they end up drinking it every day," Elin Betanzo, the president of Safe Water Engineering in Detroit, said to NPR. More recently, lead was found in six brands of ground cinnamon spice and caused a recall of children's applesauce pouches in fall 2023. 

What are the dangers of lead exposure?
"Lead is a toxin like no other," said Luby. "People think about 'Oh, yeah. Lead's bad. Mercury's bad. Cadmium's bad. Air pollution is bad. All these things.' No, lead is really disproportionately bad." Lead exposure can cause lead poisoning, which can inhibit DNA's ability to repair itself and cause neurological and developmental problems. Children are the most at risk. At high levels of exposure, the "brain and central nervous system can be severely damaged, causing coma, convulsions and even death," said the WHO. 

Getting rid of lead will not be easy. "From a basic level, since industrialization, lead has been there," said Jenna Forsyth, a research scientist at Stanford, to Vox. Global policy changes are required to truly reduce lead contamination. "We cannot inspect our way out of this problem," Drew McCartor, the executive director of Pure Earth, said to Vox.