‘Disappointed’ MPs give Secretary of State for Wales deadline for toxic dump testing update

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

The chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee has branded the Secretary of State for Wales’ response to concerns over historic industrial waste dumping in Wrexham and South Wales ‘disappointing’.

The committee has written to Stephen Kinnock demanding immediate testing at suspected dump sites after hearing emotional testimony from actor Michael Sheen and environmental journalists Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby last week relating to the findings of their BBC documentary Buried.

The documentary explored the historic dumping of ‘forever chemicals’ primarily by Monsanto across Wales.

But the Wrexham-based Monsanto Contamination Action Group (MCAG) – which represents communities affected by the historic toxic dumps – gave the letter a cautious welcome, saying more detail was needed on whether testing would include both land and people and to understand whether it would capture the full range of toxins present in these sites.

In the letter the committee says: “Given the possible significant environmental and human health consequences of contamination we are disappointed that in your response, dated 7 September, you made no commitment to explore such work with the Welsh Government or the UK Health Security Agency, despite it being within the Government’s power to do so.

“We urge you and Cabinet colleagues to consider this position and work with the UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) to lead a more ambitious programme.

“Government work on contamination, remediation and support for communities remains siloed, underfunded and incomplete. As a result, communities living near these sites are not receiving the support they need.”

Buried reignited the controversy over the dumping of harmful ‘forever chemicals’ like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) in Welsh communities like Ruabon, Cefn Mawr, Acrefair and Llwyneinion.

There are estimated to be between 10,000 and 45,000 dump sites across Wales alone.

PCBs are a class one carcinogen and when breathed in, touched or ingested accumulate in the bodies of people, animals and fish. Not only do they cause cancer they do not break down and can be passed down through the generations or remain harmful in the environment for many years.

“For far too long, communities living near contaminated land have been neglected when it comes to testing, resulting in real fears about the potential harmful environmental and health impacts,” said the letter.

“The UK Government and the Welsh Government must work together towards a properly coordinated approach to testing. Only then will we be able to begin to understand the true impact of contaminated land in our former industrial heartlands.”

The letter set Mr Kinnock a deadline of October 5 to respond explaining what course of action the UK Government would take – and if it did not plan to introduce testing, why.

“We understand that some of the policy areas we are discussing fall outside of the UK Government’s remit. That does not mean, however, that the UK Government could not look to work with the Welsh Government on how this work could be achieved,” it said.

“Efforts to understand and address this challenge must begin with testing. Until former industrial sites and those living nearby have been tested, it will be impossible to understand the extent of the challenge and subsequently how it can be addressed.

“We call on you again to explore how a coordinated approach to testing could work as a matter of urgency. I will write to you in October to seek an update on your progress. If, however, more thorough testing remains unviable, please write to us by October 5 and set out in full why that remains the case.”

Responding to the letter, the MCAG said: “We welcome this call to action, but the devil will be in the detail.

“Testing must cover the full suite of PCBs including the dioxin-like WHO-12 alongside other carcinogenic and health -impacting contaminants.

“Neither is land testing enough. Without a programme of volunteer blood testing, affected residents will never get the closure they deserve.

“Public Health Wales must step up and take the initiative.”

Public Health Wales is a devolved agency and MP Steve Witherden – who has backed campaigners from the start – agreed that Wales needed to push ahead regardless of UK Government action.

“The soil must be tested, the water must be tested, our blood must be tested.,” he said. “We will not have the full picture without all three.

“Ultimately, it falls to the Welsh Government to get the ball rolling. It must act as soon as possible.”

Eastman – the US firm now responsible for historic activities of Monsanto – was approached for a comment.

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