Hollywood actor Michael Sheen investigates Wales' toxic legacy in a new BBC iPlayer documentary, following research by whistleblower Douglas Gowan, who alleged that chemical giant Monsanto dumped large amounts of industrial chemicals around Wales. According to Gowan, these chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are "some of the worst contaminants known to man" and have been linked to rare cancers among people who played at a lagoon in Wrexham as children. Sheen's investigation found that 12 out of 14 contaminated sites identified by Gowan were located in Wales, and that Eastman Chemical Company, responsible for Monsanto's legacy production in the UK, did not respond to requests for comment. The documentary highlights the long-term effects of these chemicals, which can linger in the environment for decades and leach into waterways and sea.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
Michael Phillips spent his childhood in the 1980s playing with friends at a lagoon, firing air guns at rusty barrels that released clouds of coloured powder - completely oblivious to the toxic chemicals within.
Decades later, several of those friends and Phillips himself have developed rare cancers, which they believe may be linked to this.
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they → publish → this
Researcher and whistleblower Douglas Gowan tried to raise the alarm about 14 such sites - 12 of which were in Wales - but died before his warnings were heeded.
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warnings → try → Wales
"What he told me made my blood run cold," said Hollywood actor Michael Sheen, who spoke to Gowan just months before he died and has now continued his investigation in a new BBC iPlayer documentary.
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he → tell → documentary
Gowan, a former farming consultant, alleged that chemical giant Monsanto had dumped "huge amounts of industrial chemicals all around Wales".
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Monsanto → allege → Wales
These included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), he said, which he described as "some of the worst contaminants known to man" and were widely used during the last century, including for lipsticks and white goods.
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he → include → lipsticks
"This stuff builds up in the environment, builds up in animals and fish, and it builds up in us," Gowan said.
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Gowan → build → us
Eastman Chemical Company, which is responsible for Monsanto's legacy production in the UK, did not respond to either Sheen and his team or the BBC when asked to comment.
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which → respond → Sheen
Sheen said PCBs were now known as "the godfather of forever chemicals".
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PCBs → say → chemicals
He added: "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.
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it → add → films
These manmade chemicals are stable, resistant to extreme temperatures and pressures and have insulating properties.
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chemicals → have → properties
Because of this they were used in everything from plastics and paint to electrical equipment.
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they → use → equipment
After concerns about toxicity to humans and animals were raised, a series of bans were put in place around the world from the 1970s onwards.
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series → raise → 1970s
But the chemicals take a long time to break down and have lingered in the environment, particularly in landfill, where they can leach into waterways and then into the sea.
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they → take → sea
Gowan told Sheen in the documentary: "There was no regulation at the time, they could dump it wherever they wanted to."
In the 1980s, a fire at the lagoon at Llwyneinion near Ruabon in Wrexham took 60 firefighters more than 18 hours to bring under control.
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fire → tell → control
The effects of the chemicals were reportedly felt up to 20 miles (32km) away.
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effects → feel → chemicals
Phillips and his friends went to watch and he believes the impact of this exposure began to emerge in 2001.
"
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impact → go → 2001
I started getting lumps on my shoulder, I caught cancer.
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I → start → cancer
I lost a large part of my shoulder that's literally as wide as my hand.
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that → lose → hand
"While he was operating, my surgeon said 'this is strange, I've never seen this type of cancer before', and he'd had a distinguished career of 40 years.
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he → operate → years
It was not just him who was affected.
"I lost a very close friend who used to be [at the lagoon] all the time.
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who → affect → lagoon
He died of breast cancer.
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He → die → cancer
I have another friend who passed away with brain cancer.
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who → have → cancer
I've got another friend who is trying to get over brain cancer, I have another friend who's had all of his lymph glands taken out because they were cancerous."
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they → get → glands
Another friend has the exact type of cancer Phillips had, and his surgeon told him: "For me to catch what I had was like winning the lottery.
"
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I → have → lottery
For your friend who lives down the road to get exactly the same, he said it's like winning the lottery every day for six months.
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it → live → months
Phillips' blood tests showed higher-than-average PCB levels.
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tests → show → levels
"It's chilling to think that having any PCBs in your blood is normal, when 90 years ago no-one would have had them as they didn't exist," said Sheen.
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Sheen → think → them
The actor also had his blood tested and it revealed 81 different types of PCBs, despite him not having lived near any dump sites.
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him → have → sites
"There is no safe level of PCBs, it's a risk all of us have to try and manage.
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all → be → us
The lower your level of PCBs, the lower your risk of getting cancer," he said.
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he → get → cancer
Paul Pemberton has been a Wrexham councillor for more than 20 years and said the site had been "abused for many, many years".
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site → say → years
Scientists found cyanide, arsenic and PCBs at the site and said it needed to be cleaned up, he said.
"We were then quoted around about £45m and that would bankrupt the council," he said.
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he → find → council
However, Wrexham council said later investigations and risk assessments concluded that although contaminants were present, the sites did not meet the legal threshold requiring remediation.
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sites → say → remediation
In 2017, Gowan said the companies responsible "should be made to remediate".
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companies → say → 2017
Wales was not Monsanto's first choice when it came to PCB dumping.
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it → come → dumping
Initially it pumped PCBs into waterways in Anniston, Alabama in the US.
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it → pump → US
In 1993, the whole town sued Monsanto for chemical contamination, resulting in one of the largest single town lawsuits in US history.
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town → sue → history
Donald Stewart, one of the attorneys involved, said it was settled for $300m.
Internal Monsanto documents showed they had been aware of the toxicity of PCBs in 1949, so how could they get away with knowingly exposing people to these chemicals?
Stewart said: "If you look at this area, it's working people.
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it → involve → people
They were people who wouldn't be able to fight back."
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who → fight → ?
In another memo from 1972, journalists Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, who are helping Sheen with the investigation, found that Monsanto had decided PCBs were a worldwide problem, an environmental danger and a risk to human health, and were shutting down work at Anniston.
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PCBs → help → Anniston
…and 26 more, not listed.
