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NEW EVIDENCE reveals Hydrogen Cyanide levels 500 times above fatal dose found in bedroom of Zane's home, pre-inquest hears

14/12/2015

7 Comments

 
A "very high reading" of hydrogen cyanide in a partially redacted report by the Environment Agency was read out aloud in Zane's fourth pre- inquest.
Seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, was poisoned to death after floodwaters engulfed the family’s home in Chertsey, Surrey, during the worst storms to hit Britain in 248 years in February 2014.
For months after the tragedy, police and other agencies ruled out his parents’ fears that the lethal gas had come from a nearby landfill site, and insisted carbon monoxide from a faulty pump hired by the family was to blame.
At a pre-inquest review into Zane’s death at Woking Coroner’s Court on Monday, December 7, Lesley Thomas QC, representing the Gbangbola family, read aloud parts of an Environment Agency report during the fourth pre-inquest.
He had also represented the West Yorkshire family of Bobbi and Christi Shepherd who died from toxic gas inhalation from a faulty boiler at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel in Corfu in 2006 following negligence by Thomas Cook.
Mr Thomas read from the Environment Agency’s National Incident Recording System report that some information in the document was to be "vetted" not to be "in the public domain".
Mr Thomas said he suspected the report "had been redacted".
Mr Harris, representing the Environment Agency, said that this had been a "formatting error" and that they "had not sought to withhold any information" from the court.
Mr Thomas read on that when the fire service entered the house in February last year after the family was taken to hospital, a gas reading of 25,000 parts per million was taken, showing "high levels of hydrogen cyanide in the upstairs bedroom".
Another recording taken downstairs had the reading 10,000 parts per million, the inquest heard.
At a previous pre-inquest review into Zane’s death, it was said that only one reading of 10 parts per million had been recorded in the house following the evacuation.
Mr Thomas said: "This report says there was more than one reading.
"It’s a very high reading. I don’t think we’ve had an indication that the hydrogen cyanide was ever so high.
"This is the first time that this has come out."
Mr Thomas added “there may be more evidence than we have seen” after the report showed that the matter was taken “extremely seriously” when Government’s Cobra emergency committee meetings were held in relation to Zane’s death.  
He told coroner Richard Travers: "This is an indication that there well may be evidence that we have not seen.
"You need to satisfy yourself that that documentation is not relevant to this inquest. At this point you can’t say so as you haven’t seen the documentation."
Agreeing that the information should be made public to the court, Mr Travers announced a further pre-inquest review date for December 22 ahead of the inquest in January to allow all parties time to read the document.
The Government’s Cobra emergency committee was briefed by the Environment Agency on the day Zane died. A further meeting was held the following day chaired by David Cameron.
Last night former Minister Sir Eric Pickles, who chaired that Cobra meeting, told Mail on Sunday: ‘I do not recall hydrogen cyanide being mentioned at all. The briefing was wholly in the context of us being concerned about private generators.’
The documents also raise alarming questions for Surrey Police, which spent ten months investigating the pump theory.
The Mail on Sunday has previously revealed how council officials raised concerns about ground gases coming from the landfill site in 2007.
A spokeswoman from Spelthorne Council previously denied any wrongdoing on the council’s part in regard to the former landfill site.
She said: "Whilst we have the utmost sympathy for the family’s ongoing anguish, we have always maintained that there is no evidence of a link between the landfill and this tragedy, or of a public health risk.
A Major four-week full inquest touching the death of Zane will be held next year.


Related articles: Mail on Sunday
Get Surrey
Local Guardian
7 Comments
Colin Buckley
14/12/2015 01:58:23 am

This just goes to show how right Kye and Nicole have been in doggedly pursuing the Truth About Zane. It is disgraceful that the police wasted so many resources trying to deflect the cause of death on to a non existent faulty pump. Well done whoever slipped this classified document out.

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arthur martin
14/12/2015 02:04:15 am

Its about time the truth came out well done,

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J Thompson
14/12/2015 02:34:25 am

I always new that this was a coverup shame on those people involved!

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robert davis
14/12/2015 02:45:54 am

I pass the Gbangbola house frequently - there are many other households in close proximity, who could be at risk if the Hydrogen Cyanide was leaching out of the landfill. All reports and documents - including internal Police and Emergency services - should be in the public domain. The response from the Environment agency is disingenuous at the least.

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peter mcginty
14/12/2015 02:55:08 am

We Need the truth , never mind these so called EXPERTS telling us what they want us to hear NOT what we NEED to hear.
this is an outrage and the government departments need to act properly for once and address this problem not only here but al over the country .mac

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Stephanie Trotter OBE link
14/12/2015 03:07:31 am

Congratulations to Kye and Nicole for not giving up under such grief, injury and pressure.
Surely Government officials are there and paid for to look after the people, not cover up such a disaster and a threat to others?
Well done to whoever produced the document but what if the family hadn't been almost superhuman in their fight? How many more things are there?
I think we all need to put pressure on Government to change their 'culture'. Things should be done properly and where they are not, action must be taken.
Money is NOT more important than life and death.

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Helen Jones Milford
6/1/2016 06:13:21 am

I have followed his story from the beginning as not only is Chertsey not too far from me but because the parents of Zane have my heartfelt sympathies for all they have and are suffering.
Sir Erick Pickles statement ....not recalling hydrogen cyanide being mentioned at all, but was wholly concerned with private generators....
They would have known what they were concerned about re the generators, ie that the generator had caused death by some sort of air pollution, ie carbon monoxide, etc. the first thing the Fire brigade do is asses the risk to their firefighters, they would have been able to know very quickly what the pollutant was as they are the first point of call for this type of thing. To say that a FORMATTING ERROR was the cause of the comment that said "vetted" not to be "in the public domain" ...is such a weak excuse as it to be wholly unbelievable as a true statement and is more likely to be a panic induced excuse from the Enviroment Agency.
We all know the outcome will be that every house near landfill will be at risk in flood times from cyanide poisoning. House prices will crash. The gov will be expected to make safe these properties and the surrounding area. And if they have any sense deal with the issues of reducing landfill for he future. Anyone who goes to their own dump will see the criminal amount of uneccessary waste we have in this country all adding to this ongoing problem.
I wish you both the very best and I personally will make sure I compost everything and only put in my bin anything I can't possibly re cycle or reuse, and will educate as many people as possible. The gov needs to tighten up packaging laws and what people throw away.

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