Council says contaminated land in Michael Sheen’s BBC documentary ‘not dangerous enough’ to launch clean-up

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A local council has said that dumped carcinogenic ‘forever chemicals’ are not considered dangerous enough to launch a multi-million pound clean-up operation following Michael Sheen documentary.

A new BBC documentary by Hollywood actor Michael Sheen and due to be broadcast next Monday (August 17) looks into the alleged dumping of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – poisonous chemicals that do not break down, but build up in the environment, animals, fish and humans over time.

These chemicals were dumped in 12 known sites across Wales including in Ruabon, Cefn Mawr and the infamous Llwyneinion Acid Tar Lagoon as well as two in Cheshire.

Evidence gathered by campaigners and experts over years claims PCBs may have been responsible for spikes in rare cancers in those areas.

The two-part series – which will be on BBC One Wales, BBC Two across the UK and on the iPlayer – follows Sheen as he works with environmental journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor to speak to individuals who have been investigating the claims for years.

They include the late former farming consultant and whistleblower Douglas Gowan. who campaigned for years to warn communities and Governments about contamination.

Despite this only one site – Miskin in South Wales – has been officially classified as contaminated land meaning there is no legal requirement to clean-up the toxic mess.

“What he told me made my blood run cold,” said Sheen, who spoke to Gowan just months before he died.

In the programme Gowan alleges that chemical giant Monsanto – which produced 98% of all PCBs in the UK and is no longer in operation – dumped ‘huge amounts of industrial chemicals all around Wales.’

Risks known

The documentary also found that despite the risks of PCBs being known since 1949, right up until they were banned worldwide in the 1980s they were commonly used in white goods and makeup.

During their investigations Sheen travels to Ruabon where he meets Cefn Cllr Katie Witherden, who reveals her nan worked at Monsanto and died of lung cancer while she has also experienced cancer.

She tells him she believes that the are higher rate of cancer in the area as a result of the chemical dumping.

Another resident featured, Michael Phillips, revealed that as children he and his friends went down to Llwyneinion acid lagoon to watch as fire crews battled to bring a fire there under control in 1980.

The fire took 18 hours to extinguish but years later Michael and his friends all contracted rare cancers which he attributes to exposure to PCBs.

“My surgeon said ‘this is strange, I’ve never seen this type of cancer before’, and he’d had a distinguished career of 40 years,” said Phillips.

Two of his friends have passed away with brain cancer and breast cancer, another is battling brain cancer while a fourth had all their lymph nodes removed as they were cancerous.

A fifth even had the same type of cancer as Phillips – something his surgeon said was equivalent to the odds of winning the lottery every day for six months.

Natural Resources Wales

Natural Resources Wales have carried out investigations at Llwyneinion and other alleged dumping sites.

In a Freedom of Information Request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service earlier this year it said: “In 2005 the Environment Agency Wales (EAW), NRW’s predecessor, carried out a detailed inspection of Llwyneinion Acid Tar Lagoon at the request of the local authority.

“The site was investigated with assistance from Wrexham Council as a potential special site, given the nature of the acid tar waste present. The investigation concluded that neither significant pollution nor significant harm was occurring, and that the criteria for designation as a special site were not met.

“As a result, the site was formally handed back to Wrexham Council for
regulation and ongoing management.”

Clean-up costs for Llwyneinion acid lagoon alone were estimated to be around £40 million back in 2011.

This was confirmed in the documentary by Ponciau Cllr Paul Pemberton.

“We were then quoted around about £45m,” he said, “That would bankrupt the council.”

Sheen, who had his own blood tested to reveal 81 different types of PCBs in his system despite not having lived near any dump sites, told BBC news something needed to be done.

“As things stand I think the local councils where these areas are of great concern are understandably very worried,” he said. “They just don’t have the budget to be able to deal with this.

“We’ve got to try and find a way forward. There needs to be proper testing done to make sure that we know exactly how much we need to worry about these places. But these are just the places we know about – there may be many more.”

Statement from council 

In a statement Wrexham Council said: “Wrexham County Borough Council takes its responsibilities for protecting public health and the environment extremely seriously.

“We have undertaken extensive investigations over many years into both the Llwyneinion Acid Tar Lagoon and the adjacent Monsanto Chemical Waste Tip.

“This work has been carried out in line with Welsh Government statutory guidance and, where appropriate, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.

“These investigations have confirmed that, while contaminants are present within these historic industrial sites, detailed scientific risk assessments have concluded that they do not meet the legal definition of ‘contaminated land’ under the legislation. This means that, based on the available evidence, there is no statutory requirement for remediation.

“Importantly, the council has not simply relied on historic assessments. We continue to carry out regular inspections of the sites and the surrounding area and undertake ongoing monitoring of controlled waters, including streams and groundwater.

“As a precaution, both sites have long been secured with fencing and clear warning signage, and these measures are routinely inspected and maintained.

“The council is aware that concerns have been raised about historic industrial activity in the Ruabon area and the potential impact on local communities. We understand the strength of feeling on this issue. However, we hold no record of any formal advice indicating that remediation was required, or that the sites present a level of risk that would meet the statutory threshold for intervention.

“In 2013, the council commissioned an Independent Remediation Options Appraisal for the Llwyneinion Acid Tar Lagoon site, even though there was no legal requirement to do so. This work carefully considered whether intervention would be appropriate.

“It concluded that a managed approach of continued monitoring and site control was the most proportionate option, taking into account environmental risks, potential disturbance, and the wider impacts on the community.

“Wrexham has a proud industrial heritage and, like many areas with that history, we continue to manage its legacy responsibly. We will continue to ensure that land contamination is managed safely, proportionately, and in line with the law, prioritising the wellbeing of our communities.

Eastman Chemical Company, which is responsible for Monsanto’s legacy production in the UK, did not respond to the Local Democracy Reporting Service when asked to comment on the claims made in the documentary.

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