Health bosses to meet Grenfell surivors over 'toxins' in soil

Health chiefs have agreed to hold a public meeting with Grenfell Tower survivors and bereaved families to discuss the potential toxicity of the soil around the tower.

Residents have said they are “deeply disturbed” by the preliminary findings of an independent study which identified “huge concentrations” of potential carcinogens in residue found in the area.

The fire, on June 14 last year, claimed 72 lives.

A Grenfell United spokesperson said: “Toxicity levels is an issue that Grenfell United have raised from the very beginning. We want to know the risks and what the agencies responsible for ensuring the safety of the community are doing about it.

“Until now, the air quality is the only monitoring being conducted.”

Professor Anna Stec, a world-leading toxicology scientist based at the University of Central Lancashire, is an expert witness for the inquiry into the circumstances of the blaze.

She conducted her own tests on soil and dust samples near the tower and up to a mile away and while the results are yet to be validated, she said she has found toxins that have not been picked up by air monitoring.

Her full report is due to be published next year.

Officials from Public Health England (PHE), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have now agreed to meet residents in North Kensington on October 29 to discuss the reports.

PHE has consistently monitored air quality levels since the initial days following the blaze, but has not taken soil or water samples.

The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, James Brokenshire, and fire minister Nick Hurd have said the community’s health was a “consistent priority” for the Government.