What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon?

Let’s open door 15

In 2008, the specific clinical signs that we had observed in some dying swans at rattlechain over the previous 9 years was recorded on video for the first time.

This gave a clear indication of the suffering caused by spending time at this toxic waste dump. It is a reminder that despite claims of safety and compliance with licensing, and even the waste itself, the fools who both allowed and regulated this site were and are responsible for allowing this to happen.

Following research conducted by us via the internet of similar symptoms in a US army firing range contaminated by white phosphorus where wildfowl had also died, we contacted the scientists who had researched this, who were of the opinion that the symptoms shown in the video were very similar to those seen in observation there. They stated that testing of white phosphorus was required in the dead birds, Rhodia reluctantly agreed.

Let’s open door 14

A birds eye view of Rattlechain lagoon at the end of the 1990’s, when Rhodia were still calling it “rattlechain mere”.  The luminosity of the water is caused by the emission of phosphine gas. You could see it from space, yet to a bird it would just be a quiet open area of water to feed or roost.

Let’s open door 13

When confronted with the insoluble mystery of bird deaths at their toxic waste lagoon, Rhodia put forward some bizarre claims about how their site was not to blame. These lies from works management would eventually unravel, yet their PR spin continued to be pumped out like the toxic waste that came before it. THEY DID NOT VOLUNTEER ANY CREDIBLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOXICITY OR HEALTH ISSUES RELATING TO WHITE PHOSPHORUS- (P4), DESPITE ALLOWING US ONTO THE SITE TO RESCUE OR RETRIEVE DEAD BIRDS.

Let’s open door 12

Dead birds! At the heart of the entire story, and how we were alerted to this toxic waste dump.

It was clear that one death of a swan was unusual when it had not been eaten, but several later, and several other species later, there was only one common link- the pool and its contents. We did not know at that time what the lagoon really contained and were misled by Rhodia at several meetings that we attended, where the Environment Agency also appeared incapable of making a link between the nature of the waste and the consequences of dumping it in shallow waters.

Let’s open door 11

Barrels! These appear to be inextricably linked to rattlechain in terms of them being randomly dumped at the site- many before site licensing. The upshot of this is that we do not know what they contained. Even the accounts from Rhodia and the environment agency are sketchy, and no attempt to remove the barrels lying in the waste during the so called “clean up” in 2013 was made, save for the ones impeding the progress of spreading out the geotextile membrane.

An account of  a fire resulting from the tipping out of white phosphorus contaminated waste at the site reveals the truth- undoubtedly this shovelling away the evidence under water would have contributed to subsequent wildfowl deaths at the lake.

Let’s open door 10

The waste management licence saw the arrival of waste tankers carrying toxic sludge supposedly mixed with calcium phosphate to disguise what was really contained within the waste stream. Two different points at the site were used at different times. One named “the beach area” saw a solidified area of white solid often build up above the level of the water. This sometimes caught fire or began to smoke.

The long iconic centre pipe was mainly used in the end phase of waste operations, where it also became a roosting point for many wildfowl- thus attracting them to the site. Deluded individuals within the company believed that this operation was a first class example of how to run a waste management site. They were also the same characters who were misleading people about what the lagoon really contained.

Let’s open door 9

BANG!!!

Not the kind of explosion that you would want to be anywhere near, but this detonation of AW bombs took place in 1983. We certainly believe that it was not the first!

We have asked several questions about why these WW2 Albright and Wilson artefacts were detonated at this site, or more likely buried there after their production in 1942 has ceased. Unfortunately this was a rather bad idea on the part of both the company and the bomb disposal unit. Not all the white phosphorus contained in such detonations would be spent, more likely just propelled under water to later poison some passing ducks. The human health consequences and wind direction also appear to be unsatisfactory. IT MADE A GOOD STORY THOUGH.

Let’s open door 8

Following the end of canal haulage of waste by 1974, the rattlechain site has been accessed by one road for many years. John’s Lane has a changing history with the site, and there have been site modifications, which now leave some of Albright and Wilson’s contaminated land outside of the current Rattlechain lagoon boundaries.

Let’s open door 7

The spectre of unlimited dumping

New legislation in the 1970’s began to limit the types of waste that Albright and Wilson and other polluting chemical companies could dispose of into the environment. Unfortunately this new regulation did very little to change the situation at Rattlechain, with large quantities of toxic material, including white phosphorus contaminated wastes allowed to still be dumped.

A waste management licence- ( licence SL31  )was granted by West Midlands County Council in 1978. This allowed

• Effluent treatment sludge : 140 tonnes per day
• Waste contaminated with white phosphorus : 500 tonnes per year
• Water contaminated with white phosphorus, sulphur and phosphoric acid : 1000 gallons per year
• “solid wastes” : 10 tonnes per week

This licence was later to be renumbered WML 40803. The genesis of this remains in force at the site, but has only been modified in respect of no further wastes can be added to the site.

In reality the licence was not worth the paper that it was printed on with subsequent regulators turning a blind eye to licence breaches that occurred over the next 30 years.

Let’s open door 6

The Trinity Street Factory had convenient canal links for disposing of its toxic waste. The sites at The Gower Tip and at Rattlechain were the end of the line. Alfred Matty boats transported the cargo by narrowboat, as seen above, and it is known that the entire route they took polluted the canal on the way there.  An account of this towards the end of the process can be read HERE. The legacy of waste led to one of those transporting the white phosphorus contaminated waste as “a place in which nothing could live.”