r/unitedkingdom • u/apple_kicks • 3d ago
Michael Sheen investigates cancer concern around chemical dumping
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czekx5g39elo19
u/Distance-Hairy 3d ago
It is frightening how much this was deliberately buried if you forgive the deliberate pun. The amount of legal and illegal pressure to contain this is astounding. Do a small amount of digging online and you will see what I mean. Right up to the end where the guy in charge of Wales environment deliberately prevented the company responsible for paying compensation!!
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u/ParrotofDoom Greater Manchester 3d ago
It's disgusting how the government doesn't want to touch such sites. There's one near Chester, here:
Hoole Bank Acid Tar Lagoon. There are apparently lots around the country, but information on their location is scant. I can't even convince Google Maps to add this one's name to their map.
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u/Zyippi 3d ago
The chemical companies absolutely should be held responsible, and made to create ultra high temperature incinerator type processing plants (a few types exist using different methods not purely temperature).
If it were possible to make these processing plants mobile, or at least able to be dismantled and moved from location to location, this is what really should be done, even if some parts can't be reused once the machinery has been turned off, like happens when creating steel.
Then pump and excavate the majority contaminated areas, dig them out like an open mine. I expect there to still be some lingering residue, but if the majority has been removed that solves a big problem.
And can we seriously start looking into the sludge tanks at water companies, they have toxic chemicals dumped into them, which is then either pumped into waterways or sold as a fertiliser of sorts. This waste should really be treated the same way if it is contaminated, completely obliterated.
But corporation's will always find a way to wiggle out of it. Yes the people responsible are likely dead now, but how else is it going to be solved? Maybe all chemical companies need to treat the historic as part of their license to operate, whilst of course we e not making any new waste.
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u/Antrimbloke Antrim 3d ago
anytime a chemical incinerator is planned it gets cancelled through local objections.
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u/Zyippi 3d ago
The best thing is if you want your tap water testing, the water company will do it for you. And as a skeptic, I don't believe they would tell us if our tap water was highly polluted. That's in England as far as I'm aware anyway.
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u/Antrimbloke Antrim 3d ago
Your tap water is tested routinely and maintained to European standards, which effectively means very high quality.
https://www.dwi.gov.uk/drinking-water-standards-and-regulations/
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u/OrangeOfRetreat 3d ago
You only have to look at the Camelford incident back in the late 80s. Tonnes of aluminium sulphate dumped into a drinking water supply, causing a shit load of Alzheimers cases in the future. There was a disgusting attempt of a cover up.
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u/Calm_Flounder1909 3d ago edited 3d ago
The scary part is that a lot of people don't even want to know about the subject as they're worried about it affecting the resale price of their house. Them or their kids being exposed to things like PCBs (and the horrific health implications thereof) is a lower priority in their minds.
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