Michael Sheen investigates cancer concern around chemical dumping

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen has delved into Wales’ devastating toxic legacy, revealing a chilling narrative of alleged chemical dumping by industry giants that may be linked to rare cancers among residents. His investigation, prompted by the warnings of a dying whistleblower, forms the basis of a new BBC iPlayer documentary, "Buried with Michael Sheen." The actor confessed that what the whistleblower, Douglas Gowan, shared with him "made my blood run cold," setting him on a path to uncover the hidden dangers lurking beneath the Welsh landscape.

The heart of this investigation lies in the tragic experiences of individuals like Michael Phillips, who, in the seemingly innocent 1980s, spent his childhood playing with friends at a lagoon near Ruabon in Wrexham. Unbeknownst to them, the rusty barrels they targeted with air guns, releasing clouds of coloured powder, contained highly toxic chemicals. Decades later, a disturbing pattern emerged: Phillips and several of his childhood friends developed rare and aggressive cancers, leading them to believe their youthful exposure to the lagoon’s contents was the devastating cause.

Phillips recounted his personal battle, beginning in 2001 when he started developing lumps on his shoulder. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, requiring the removal of a significant portion of his shoulder. His surgeon, a veteran of 40 distinguished years in medicine, expressed his surprise, stating he had "never seen this type of cancer before." The grim reality extended beyond Phillips; a close friend from his lagoon days died of breast cancer, another succumbed to brain cancer, while a third is currently battling brain cancer. Yet another friend underwent extensive lymph gland removal due to cancerous growths. The most striking coincidence came when a friend living nearby developed the exact same rare cancer as Phillips. His surgeon described this as an astronomical improbability, "like winning the lottery every day for six months," unequivocally ruling out mere chance. Subsequent blood tests confirmed Phillips had higher-than-average levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in his system, a critical piece of evidence in their ongoing quest for answers.

The late Douglas Gowan, a former farming consultant, was the unsung hero who tirelessly attempted to expose this environmental scandal. For half a century, Gowan meticulously gathered evidence, alleging that the chemical giant Monsanto had indiscriminately dumped "huge amounts of industrial chemicals all around Wales." Central to his allegations were PCBs, which he vehemently described as "some of the worst contaminants known to man." These pervasive chemicals, widely used throughout the last century in products ranging from lipsticks to white goods, are notorious for their persistence. As Gowan warned, "This stuff builds up in the environment, builds up in animals and fish, and it builds up in us." His death, just months before his warnings gained widespread attention, lent a poignant urgency to Sheen’s continuation of his crucial investigation. Eastman Chemical Company, now responsible for Monsanto’s legacy production in the UK, has conspicuously refrained from responding to inquiries from Sheen’s team or the BBC, a silence that only deepens the concern.

Sheen emphasized the insidious nature of PCBs, labelling them "the godfather of forever chemicals." He painted a stark picture: "There is something out there in the forest, there is something in our bodies that can turn against us and tear us apart, but it’s not like it is in the horror films. It’s invisible. It’s a silent killer." These man-made chemicals are highly stable, resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures, and possess excellent insulating properties, making them desirable for industrial applications in plastics, paints, and electrical equipment. However, growing concerns about their severe toxicity to humans and animals led to a series of global bans beginning in the 1970s. Despite these regulations, PCBs persist in the environment for an extraordinarily long time, earning them the moniker "forever chemicals." They linger in landfills, leach into waterways, and ultimately find their way into the sea, becoming an inescapable part of the global ecosystem. Sheen’s own blood test revealed 81 different types of PCBs, despite him never having lived near a known dump site. This personal discovery underscored his grave warning: "There is no safe level of PCBs, it’s a risk all of us have to try and manage. The lower your level of PCBs, the lower your risk of getting cancer."

The dangers of these chemicals were dramatically highlighted by a massive fire at the Llwyneinion lagoon near Ruabon in the 1980s. The blaze, fueled by the dumped chemicals, required 60 firefighters more than 18 hours to bring under control, with its toxic effects reportedly felt up to 20 miles (32km) away. It was this very event that Michael Phillips and his friends witnessed, unknowingly exposing themselves to the perilous aftermath that would manifest decades later in their health.

The local community’s struggle for recognition and remediation has been long and arduous. Paul Pemberton, a Wrexham councillor for over two decades, attested to the site being "abused for many many years." Scientific analyses confirmed the presence of highly toxic substances, including cyanide, arsenic, and PCBs. The estimated cost for a comprehensive cleanup was around £45 million, a sum that, according to Pemberton, would "bankrupt the council." Wrexham council, while acknowledging the presence of contaminants, stated that subsequent investigations and risk assessments concluded the sites did not meet the legal threshold requiring remediation. Despite this, they maintain regular inspections and water monitoring and remain open to reviewing any new "robust and verifiable evidence." Gowan, in 2017, firmly believed that the responsible companies "should be made to remediate" these sites.

The investigation revealed a concerning global strategy by Monsanto. Wales, it appears, was not their primary dumping ground. Initially, the company discharged PCBs into waterways in Anniston, Alabama. In 1993, the entire town of Anniston launched a landmark lawsuit against Monsanto for chemical contamination, which settled for $300 million, making it one of the largest single-town lawsuits in US history. Donald Stewart, one of the attorneys involved in the Anniston case, shed light on Monsanto’s corporate mindset. Internal company documents from as early as 1949 demonstrated Monsanto’s awareness of the toxicity of PCBs. Stewart suggested that the choice of Anniston, a community of "working people," was deliberate, as they "wouldn’t be able to fight back."

Further incriminating evidence surfaced through a 1972 Monsanto memo, unearthed by journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor who assisted Sheen’s investigation. This document indicated that Monsanto had acknowledged PCBs as a worldwide environmental and human health risk and was shutting down operations in Anniston. However, rather than ceasing production entirely, there were proposals to significantly increase PCB manufacturing capacity at their plant in Newport, Wales. Ashby explained, "They’re doing it in Newport because the legal risk in America is so much." This corporate calculus was further facilitated by the UK government, which, at the time, placed no restrictions on importing PCBs, leading to hundreds of tonnes of these hazardous chemicals entering the country from around the world. Gowan had a cynical, yet perhaps prescient, observation: "If one wanted to be cynical about it, you could say that almost they were choosing places where chronic health issues might be hidden behind pre-existing health issues." He pointed to Wales’ industrial heritage, with its coal mining and heavy industry, as a potential cover for new environmental health problems.

Armed with these findings, Michael Sheen and his team presented their compelling evidence to Wales’ Parliament, advocating for immediate and comprehensive action. Sheen passionately argued that the affected communities "deserve more." "They deserve their concerns to be met with proper research and appropriate action," he asserted, honoring Gowan’s lifelong struggle for truth. Emphasizing the ubiquitous presence of PCBs, Sheen declared, "The fact we all have traces of this chemical in our blood shows that we all have skin in the game. We’ve got to get together, we’ve got to fight this." The documentary team is also slated to appear before the Welsh Affairs Committee, which is currently investigating alleged "forever chemical" contamination in South Wales, signaling growing parliamentary attention to the issue.

At a screening of the documentary, Sheen voiced his concern that the 12 identified sites in Wales might only be "just the places we know about," echoing Gowan’s belief that "there was much more." Kirsty Luff of Friends of the Earth Cymru has intensified calls for a public inquiry into the "scale and impact of toxic sites in Wales," warning that the accelerating climate crisis will exacerbate the situation. "More frequent and intense flooding… will bring these contaminants to the surface where they can spread over fields, they can get into water courses," Luff cautioned, highlighting an imminent environmental catastrophe.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the environmental regulator, conducted its own investigation at the Llwyneinion acid tar lagoon near Ruabon. Their findings concluded that the site did not meet the legal definition of contaminated land, thus negating a "statutory requirement for remediation." However, the Welsh government has recognized the broader issue, stating that "Addressing contaminated land is a key priority for this government." They acknowledge that Wales’ industrial heritage has left a "difficult legacy" and are committed to ensuring it "does not pose a risk to our communities or our natural environment." A 2015 survey by NRW identified over 9,000 potential sites requiring further investigation, underscoring the monumental scale of the problem. The Welsh government has pledged to develop a "Wales-wide strategy to progressively restore post-industrial land, so that communities are no longer exposed to potential risks." Sheen expressed his hope that this investigation would spur international action, recognizing that Wales is far from the only region grappling with this silent, invisible threat.

"Buried with Michael Sheen" is scheduled for broadcast on BBC Two, BBC One Wales, and BBC iPlayer from 17 August at 21:00 BST.

Additional reporting by Steffan Messenger