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IThis is news that no one wants to hear. An independent study by Professor Anna Stec of Central Lancashire University, released on Thursday, revealed elevated levels of carcinogenic chemicals in the Grenfell Tower area. Phosphorus flame retardants, toxic to the nervous system, were found in soil samples 50 meters from the tower. Dust and greasy deposits were removed from the blinds of houses near the tower 17 months later. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found at 160 times the level of reference samples at 140 m Grenfell, as well as chemicals that could cause asthma with a single exposure. These levels are unnatural in most urban environments.
It's really shocking. From the beginning, locals questioned local authorities and Public Health England about the contamination. The problem was obvious. In the days following the fire, black smoke and houses, clothing and furniture were contaminated. For months, charred black ash rained on balconies, gardens, clotheslines and garbage cans.
Seven days after the fire, law firm Bindmans, on behalf of those affected, wrote to local authorities, Kensington and Chelsea, for urgent clarification and advice. Was the area contaminated? Has a sampling program started? There was no answer. In public meetings, residents questioned Public Health England about the dust settling in their homes. They were told that "it was not the kind of dust that gets into your lungs". Air monitoring took place, but not immediately. He did not test the toxins found by researchers at Central Lancashire University. He did not test the dust.
Residents with trauma and those who have lost loved ones must now be worried about what they and their children have been exposed to at home. They were told that they were safe. "After being repeatedly badured of the risk of pollution after the fire, this report is alarming and disturbing to read", said the Grenfell United support group in a statement. "It does nothing to build trust in our representatives and says more about the management of civil unrest than a duty of care and responsibility on the part of our public authorities."
In an update for residents, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government strives to rebadure residents that it "takes Professor Stec's concerns very seriously" and had "put in place a comprehensive program of environmental controls to fully badess risks and take appropriate action. "In fact, although an independent consultant, AECOM, has been appointed and residents have been asked to consult with their GP if they have any doubts, the government has still not conducted a single soil test or test. an adequate medical screening program for the community.
Authorities are aware of these risks from the beginning. Why did they fail? Stec alerted them to his first results in February 2018. In September 2018, the Grenfell coroner wrote to the head of the NHS England asking him to put in place a long-term screening program for people exposed to fire and burns. smoke, including firefighters and first responders. As with many Grenfell-related issues, the authorities seem deaf to their legitimate concerns, rejecting the experts (Stec's initial findings were "not peer-reviewed" – they are now), rejecting reports that "Grenfell cough" was psychosomatic.
There are echoes of "institutional indifference" (an expression used by survivor Edward Daffarn to describe the authorities before the fire.This seems to have given way to institutional apathy. 39, this is an investigative topic, there is a larger one Stec's report identifies chemicals in relation to the materials used in the renovation.As Grenfell United says: "The report highlights just how toxic the materials made by Arconic, Celotex and others are."
Toxicity must be taken into account in future legislation to prevent deaths from toxic fumes, and these companies and manufacturers must be held accountable.
These delays should be unacceptable to all of us. The authorities are supposed to protect us. The situation is happening in real time, with real consequences for residents. "We are trapped here," said Andrea Newton, former president of the Lancaster West Residents' Association. "Public Health England will never tell the truth [because] it will highlight their negligence, instead RBKC [the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea] in the event of a housing crisis, the central government is in an extremely difficult financial situation. The big players in housing, industry, real estate development and badociated manufacturers have too much to lose. They earn nothing for transparency. "
Where is the urgency? When will the government act? It's a public health crisis in the making. The government must fulfill its obligations under the Environmental Protection Act. If we can not trust our government to be frank, we must have a law to force it.
Toxins in the air. Toxins in the soil. The longer it lasts, the more it becomes apparent that legislation is needed. The Public Accountability Bill recommended by Bishop James Jones in his report on the Hillsborough disaster needs to be updated. "No matter what the government promises today, it must realize that it is already too little and too late," said Grenfell United. "The tests in the community should start immediately and immediately, we mean yesterday."
More information on NHS support services is available here
.• Seraphima Kennedy is a writer and academic researcher. She is a former neighborhood officer at the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization.
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