The first trial for airborne particle pollution led to one of Netflix’s most successful productions of 2025. The miniseries “Toxic City,” written by Jack Thorne, addresses environmental activism of a group of mothers from the English town of Corby, who accused the local Municipality of being responsible for congenital defects in their children.
This plot begins in 1980, with the closure of the steel production plant that employed much of the population. In the mid-80s, the Municipality decided to move the industrial waste from the demolished plant to a quarry, to redevelop the land.
Environmental Pollution
This process of extraction and removal of toxic waste is what highlights the environmental conflict. During this relocation operation, which lasted several years, minimum safety standards were not considered. The contracting company omitted measures to prevent the spread of toxic dust.
Close to 200 vehicles transported the toxic substances to the quarry daily. However, most of the time the load was not properly covered, allowing chemical leaks for years. In addition, documentary violations were committed, undermining inspections and authorizations. Business interests, aiming to reduce costs, combined with political complicity.
In the series, the issue is described from the perspective of three mothers (Susan, Tracey, and Maggie) who begin to notice connections between their children being born with deformities. Gradually, they discover more cases and become aware that it is a widespread reality in the town. The series portrays the struggle to be heard and the search for truth by these women, who end up taking the case to court.
The series does not express it, but in real life, the resolution of the lawsuit was not quick. “The case took 11 or 12 years to resolve. At that time, it was the longest case I had been involved in. It was an educational experience in many ways,” recalled Des Collins, the lawyer who represented the accusing women, in a recent interview.
Historic Trial
In the legal process, the challenge for the plaintiffs was to demonstrate how chemical substances entered the mothers’ bodies and affected the fetuses. Likewise, proving that there was negligent management by the municipality that was aware of the problem.
Studies were conducted, and experts were called to the hearings. The presence of cadmium was identified, which in previous scientific research was linked to birth defects in animals. It was also demonstrated that toxic dust could travel several kilometers through the air.
On July 29, 2009, the High Court of Justice in London ruled in favor of 16 affected families, between 1985 and 1997, due to air particle pollution. The court held the Corby Municipality responsible for negligence and failure to meet its legal obligations in the process of recovering the industrial plant waste.
BBC analyst Colette McBeth considered the case a landmark for British and global jurisprudence, as it proved, for the first time, the link between physical defects and environmental pollution.
