Michael Sheen delves into Wales’ toxic legacy in a forthcoming BBC iPlayer documentary, recounting a conversation with researcher and whistleblower Douglas Gowan that left him visibly shaken.
“What helium told maine made my humor tally cold,” said Hollywood histrion Michael Sheen, who spoke to Gowan conscionable months earlier helium died and has present continued his probe successful a caller BBC iPlayer documentary.
Gowan, a former farming consultant, alleged that Monsanto had dumped “huge amounts of concern chemicals each astir Wales.” He identified polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as “some of the worst contaminants known to man,” noting their historic use in products ranging from lipsticks to achromatic goods. “This worldly builds up successful the environment, builds up successful animals and fish, and it builds up successful us,” Gowan said.
Eastman Chemical Company, which assumes responsibility for Monsanto’s legacy accumulation in the UK, did not respond to requests for comment from Sheen’s team or the BBC.
Sheen described PCBs as “the godfather of everlastingly chemicals.” He added: “There is thing retired determination successful the forest, determination is thing successful our bodies that tin crook against america and teardrop america apart, but it's not similar it is successful the fearfulness films. It's invisible. It's a soundless killer.”
These manmade compounds resist extreme temperatures and pressures, providing insulating properties that led to their inclusion in plastics, overgarment, and electrical equipment. After toxicity concerns emerged, a series of bans were enacted from the 1970s onward. Yet the chemicals degrade slowly, persisting in landfill sites where they can leach into waterways and eventually the sea.
Gowan told Sheen in the documentary: “There was nary regularisation astatine the time, they could dump it wherever they wanted to.”
In the 1980s, a fire at the lagoon near Llwyneinion, Ruabon, Wrexham required 60 firefighters more than 18 hours to bring under control. Effects were reportedly felt up to 20 miles (32km) away. Phillips and his friends attended the blaze, and he believes the exposure began to manifest in 2001.
“I started getting lumps connected my shoulder, I caught cancer. I mislaid a ample portion of my enarthrosis that's virtually arsenic wide arsenic my hand,” Phillips recounted. “While helium was operating, my surgeon said 'this is strange, I've ne'er seen this benignant of crab before', and he'd had a distinguished vocation of 40 years.”
The impact extended beyond Phillips. “I mislaid a precise adjacent person who utilized to beryllium [at the lagoon] each the time, much than me. He died of bosom cancer.” “I person different person who passed distant with encephalon cancer. I've got different person who is trying to get implicit encephalon cancer, I person different person who's had each of his lymph glands taken retired due to the fact that they were cancerous.”
Another associate developed the same form of cancer as Phillips; his surgeon remarked: “For maine to drawback what I had was similar winning the lottery.” He added: “For your person who lives down the roadworthy to get precisely the same, helium said it's similar winning the lottery each time for six months. It's not a coincidence.”
Phillips’ blood tests revealed elevated PCB levels. “It's chilling to deliberation that having immoderate PCBs successful your humor is normal, erstwhile 90 years agone no-one would person had them arsenic they didn't exist,” said Sheen.
He continued: “There is nary harmless level of PCBs, it's a hazard each of america person to effort and manage. The little your level of PCBs, the little your hazard of getting cancer,” helium said.
Sheen’s own blood analysis identified 81 antithetic types of PCBs, despite his lack of residence near known dump sites.
Paul Pemberton, a Wrexham councillor for over two decades, described the site as having been “abused for galore many years.” Scientists detected cyanide, arsenic, and PCBs, stating remediation was necessary. “We were past quoted astir astir £45m and that would bankrupt the council,” helium said.
Wrexham council, however, maintained that early investigations and risk assessments concluded contaminants, while present, did not reach the legal threshold requiring remediation.
In 2017, Gowan asserted that the responsible companies “should beryllium made to remediate.”
Historical records show Wales was not Monsanto’s initial choice for PCB disposal. The corporation first discharged PCBs into waterways in Anniston, Alabama. In 1993, the full municipality sued Monsanto for chemical contamination, resulting in one of the largest single‑municipality lawsuits in U.S. history. Donald Stewart, one of the attorneys involved, confirmed the settlement amounted to $300m.
Internal Monsanto documents indicated awareness of PCB toxicity as early as 1949. Stewart observed: “If you look astatine this area, it's moving people. They were radical who wouldn't beryllium capable to combat back.”
A 1972 memo uncovered by journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor—who are assisting Sheen’s investigation—revealed Monsanto had deemed PCBs a global problem, an environmental hazard, and a threat to public health, prompting a shutdown of operations at Anniston. Nevertheless, proposals emerged to increase capacity to produce five billion additional kilograms of PCBs at their Newport plant.
“They're doing it successful Newport due to the fact that the ineligible hazard successful America is truthful much,” said Ashby.
“Then the authorities successful the UK told manufacture we're not going to enactment immoderate restrictions connected importing PCBs. So they statesman importing from astir the world, hundreds of tonnes of PCBs.”
Gowan speculated: “If 1 wanted to beryllium cynical astir it, you could accidental that astir they were choosing places wherever chronic wellness issues mightiness beryllium hidden down pre-existing wellness issues.”
He added: “People grew up with the cognition that... they were successful an country that had ember mining, dense industry, the situation was contaminated, and determination were wellness problems.”
Sheen and his team presented their findings to the Welsh Parliament, urging further testing. “These radical merit more,” helium said.
“They merit their concerns to beryllium met with due probe and due action. Douglas spent astir of his beingness warring to get the information retired there.”
“The information we each person traces of this chemic successful our humor shows that we each person tegument successful the game. We've got to get together, we've got to combat this.”
Meanwhile, members of the documentary crew are slated to appear before the Welsh Affairs Committee as it examines alleged toxic “forever chemical” contamination in south Wales, the BBC has been told.
At a screening of the documentary, Sheen remarked: “These are conscionable the places we cognize about... Douglas Gowan believed that determination was over
Sincity Press Staff
12 hours ago 6 min read
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