Michael Sheen: I was snubbed by First Minister over chemical contamination claimThe actor said he invited Rhun ap Iorwerth, the First Minister of Wales, to view a documentary about the alleged contamination.Michael Sheen has claimed he was snubbed by the first Minister (Ian West/PA)PA ArchiveEleanor Storey4 minutes ago
Michael Sheen has said he was snubbed by the Welsh First Minister after asking for a meeting to discuss claims of chemical contamination in Wales.
The actor appeared before the Welsh Affairs Committee on Thursday to talk to MPs about the findings of the BBC series, Buried with Michael Sheen, which aired last month.
The two-part programme explored the claims of whistleblower Douglas Gowan, who believed people in Wales had been poisoned by decades of exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment.
Sheen told MPs on Thursday that he had contacted Rhun ap Iorwerth, the First Minister of Wales, ahead of the documentary being broadcast, but was turned down for a meeting.
He said: “I got in touch with the First Minister before the documentary went out, and I invited him and whoever he would like to bring forward to watch the documentary before it went out publicly, because I feel like this is not about trying to point blame at anyone.
“I thought it was a very good opportunity for the First Minister, as a new first minister, you know, incoming, to be able to get on board with this, to look for solutions.
“I’ve always said that everything we’re doing with this is not about just shouting about it, it’s about looking for a practical way forward, a practical solution.
“So, I invited the First Minister to have an opportunity to look at it, talk to us about it. Unfortunately, that offer was not taken up.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth was invited to view the documentary, the actor said (Peter Byrne/PA)PA Wire
Sheen appeared before the committee alongside investigative journalists Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby, who co-presented the programme.
The documentary explored Mr Gowan’s claims that thousands of tonnes of toxic industrial chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) had been dumped in sites across Wales and north-west England.
Sheen, who was raised in Port Talbot, South Wales, met and interviewed Mr Gowan shortly before he died in 2018 aged 74.
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The series featured segments of these interviews alongside Sheen meeting members of affected communities, forensic scientists and environmental experts.
As part of the documentary, Sheen was among a group of volunteers who had their blood tested for PCBs.
Asked how it made him feel, he said: “I agreed to being tested because I thought, well, I’m not affected, I haven’t been living in these communities.
“But then once someone’s sitting there telling you you’ve got 82 different PCBs in your blood, and one of them is the most deadly when it comes to carcinogens, it’s shocking.
“To know that communities in the area where I come from were sort of chosen to have this stuff put near them because they couldn’t fight back, because it would get hidden, it would be buried – I take as a personal affront.
“I’ve never come across anything more unfair than this. That communities, families, unbeknownst to them, have been potentially poisoned by this stuff, and it is going to continue, and it’s very difficult to get anyone to do anything about it.
“Whilst I have any ability to raise the alarm, push people to try and do something about this, make sure that people’s voices are heard, then I will do that, I will not let go of it.”
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