What he told me made my blood run cold – Michael Sheen investigates Wales’ toxic legacy

Toxic Waste Investigation

PCBs, which were banned in Britain in the 1980s, were previously used as lubricants, electrical insulators, and coolants. Gowan described them as some of the worst contaminants known to man, noting that they build up in fish, animals, and humans. Sheen stated that what Gowan told him during video interviews made my blood run cold.

Testing commissioned for the documentary found that 13 of the 14 sites identified by Gowan contained contamination. Some soils exhibited PCB levels nearly 2,000 times the normal amount. Residents living near these dumps reported abnormally high levels of PCBs in their blood and instances of rare cancers. Michael Phillips, who played at a lagoon in the 1980s by firing air guns at rusty barrels, is among those who developed rare cancers they believe are linked to the site.

Corporate and Government Response

Investigative journalists Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby found that by the early 1970s, Monsanto was aware that PCBs caused health problems and ceased production at its Anniston, Alabama, plant. However, the company increased PCB output at Newport, which at one time produced a third of the world’s supply and dumped chemicals into the Severn Estuary and River Severn.

Gowan reported that he struggled to be taken seriously by authorities, alleging he was accused by the Government of doctoring results and was attacked by masked men with steel bars. Eastman Chemical Company, which is responsible for the legacy production of Monsanto in the UK, did not respond to requests for comment from the BBC or Sheen’s team.

Sheen, who agreed to be tested as a control, expressed shock at finding PCBs in his own blood, stating there is no safe level and that we all have it in us.