Grenfell survivors fear cancer after inhaling toxic particles

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

Grenfell residents fear getting cancer after inhaling toxic particles as the tower burned in 2017.

Melanie Juno Wolfe, who leads a community health group in North Kensington, said residents were “more than concerned” that cancer symptoms could go undetected because of a lack of “adequate” health screening.

The North Kensington mum said: “We do believe that this could be the biggest humanitarian issue of our time in this borough.

“We want to work forward to ensure those with the least voice have access to adequate health care, monitoring and to have some sense of their lives being worthwhile and not the feeling that they’re ignored somewhat and are worthless.

“If there is something we can do to ensure people have something to hold on to and to have some hope, that is what we are asking for.”

It comes amid reports that a spate of Grenfell Tower firefighters have been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Many are believed to be in their 40s and have been told they have rare cancers linked to the high levels of unprecedented exposure to contaminants during the huge rescue effort.

Former Labour MP turned Kensington and Chelsea councillor Emma Dent Coad said she shared their concerns after becoming a cancer survivor herself.

She said: “I’m reminded of the response to the ‘Grenfell Cough’. We were told there was no Grenfell Cough but actually the local GPs told me they had 70 cases of Grenfell Cough, of people actually coughing blood up to six months after Grenfell.

“We need exactly what you’re asking for, which is for detailed and exact screening.”

She said Labour had written to the department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on how they plan to deal with the issue and are still waiting for a response a fortnight on.

Public Health lead Cllr Sarah Addenbrooke said adequate screening already existed and vowed to work with the NHS and local communities to raise awareness about testing centres.

She said: “The council’s local health department has a role in monitoring the local population’s health and well being, working with medical experts and looking at routinely available data and identifying trends.

“This is done in a number of ways, including population health monitoring and the North Kens Health and Wellbeing Survey.

“This allows us to have both the quantitative and qualitative data and as part of the population health monitoring we look at a range of conditions, including cancers, which helps us identify and health impacts, as early a stage as possible.

“We want to do more to share this information with local people and we’ll be doing this by refreshing the local North Kensington JNSA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) – an assessment that looks at the needs and wellbeing of the local community.

“The NHS is also looking at what type of checks are in place and is seeking advice from national experts.”

A resident shared the cancer concerns of Grenfell Tower residents during a full council meeting at RBKC (Picture: RBKC)