Corby is about 60,000 residents a city located north of London. For many years it was famous for the production of steel, but in the early 1980s the steel mill was closed. Shortly afterwards, the city was decided to re -use the area in which it was located. Failure to remain safety rules during this process and transporting waste in unwashed trucks led to the release of huge amounts of toxic dust into the air. Consequently, at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Almost three times more children with limb deformations were born in Corby than in the surrounding cities.
Women presented in the “toxic city” really exist
Proofing the connection between birth defects and improper toxic waste management was not an easy or short process. Nobody would hear about the case, if not for a group of determined women who decided to demand justice and fought in court with local authorities. In 2009, a judgment was passed in their favor. There was a settlement as a result of which The victims of the corporate received 14.6 million pounds from the city council. It is their history that is presented by the Netflix series “Toxic city”, which hit the platform on February 27.
Production focuses primarily on the fate of three women – Susan McIntyre (Jodie Whittaker), Tracey Taylor (Aimee Lou Wood) and Maggie Mahon (Claudia Jessie). McIntyre still remembers how difficult the first moments were after the birth of his son. – He was born without the fingers of his left hand. At the beginning I wasn't able to look at her, it was too difficult. But the more I looked, the more I saw him because I loved him so much – he says, cited by “Elle”.
The daughter of Tracey Taylor was born with a deformed ear and improperly developed organs. Unfortunately, the girl died shortly after delivery. A woman in a corby at that time compares to an apartment in the desert and endless dust. “You could clean your desk, and when you made coffee, it was again covered with dust,” she said in the Sunday Times. In the same article, the accounts of other residents were also referred to, who compared the smell of waste to the smell of the hospital ward.
Maggie Mahon's husband, like the one presented in the series, worked in the former steelworks. The woman mentioned that every time he returned from work, his clothes were heavy with dust. The son of the couple was born with a deformed foot and required several operations to walk. Mahon learned from the newspaper article that a lot of children with similar problems is born in Corby. She showed him to her husband. – I said: Read it. You work there and our son has a foot problem. This is probably not a coincidence – he recalls.
There are many more history of the inhabitants of Corby
There are many more people affected by incorrect toxic waste management in Corby. Shortly after the premiere of the “toxic city” on BBC He hit the podcast, where they told about their stories inspired to create a series. One of these people is George Angus Taylor, who was born in Corby in 1992 with hand deformations. His mother Fiona recalls that after Shortly after delivery, her son was “navy blue” as a result of circulation problems.
In turn, three years earlier, Lisa Atkinson gave birth to a girlfriend named Simone, who had three fingers at each hand. Lisa has been blamed for her daughter's ailment for a long time. Especially since, although Simone had great support and acceptance from the family, she was oppressed at school. At the age of 18, she was offered a hand surgery, which she refused. – They honestly said that he was not sure if she would be helpful. Until then I got used to it. I live with pain, but I didn't want to risk it would be worse – she said in the BBC podcast. The operation helped Lewis Waterfield, who was born in 1994, who was also born with deformations of both hands. “But they can't do anymore,” he says about his procedure. – Every now and then someone asks me about my hands and everything comes back again. But it doesn't bother me. It's part of me – he admitted.
The lawyer hopes that the “toxic city” will pay attention to the burning problem
The process of Corby families has become a precedent. For the first time in history, we managed to prove the connections between air poisoning and birth defects. Previous cases of this type concerned only water poisoning. Des Collins, a lawyer representing families from Corby (in the series he plays Rory Kinnear), he did not hesitate to help them. – All the inhabitants of Corby knew about red dust, which was everywhere. But no one at that time was aware of the terrible health problems that he could cause. This required great courage and determination on the part of mothers who did not give in to the fight for their children – says in The Sunday post.
Collins is almost convinced that to this day many people are not aware that their health problems result from environmental pollution. – I hope that the “Toxic City” series will pay attention to the problem of placing buildings in the contaminated area – he adds. – It worries me very much, because in the face of a housing crisis there is a huge pressure to build everywhere, also in such places – explains the lawyer.