Irish surfers and sea swimmers are being urged to view a new documentary on the dark side of neoprene, which is used in wetsuits.
As The Irish Independent reports, The Big Sea, a multiple award-winning film, is due to be screened at the inaugural Salt Water Festival in Bundoran, Co Donegal, this Thursday.
Sligo-based surfer and film-maker Alice Ward, who is hosting a question and answer session after the screening, says that "as someone who considers myself environmentally conscious, I had no idea about the realities behind wetsuit manufacturing".
The documentary has been described by Channel 4 News as “one of the most important outdoor films of all time”.
British filmmakers Lewis Arnold, Chris Nelson and Demi Taylor interviewed surfers who said they felt “duped” in not realising that neoprene, a synthetic rubber widely used in wetsuits, involves high emissions of chloroprene.
The chemical, which has been described by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a likely human carcinogen, has been primarily produced in a plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, developed by DuPont and now owned by Japanese company Denka.
The Denka chemical factory in Louisiana Photo: Lewis Arnold / The Big Sea film
In 2015, the US EPA reported that the cancer risk in the parish of St John the Baptist in Louisiana was the highest in the USA at nearly 50 times the national average, and linked it to chloroprene emissions from Denka.
St John's Parish is part of the 85-mile so-called “cancer alley” corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on the Mississippi River, a location for over 150 petrochemical plants, oil refineries, and chemical manufacturers.
During 2019, The Guardian newspaper reported from Reserve in St John’s Parish and elsewhere in the “Cancer Alley” corridor on the battle the residents have been waging for clean air
The Big Sea documentary interviewed many residents, along with surfers, medical experts and environmental advocates.
Under the Biden administration, the US EPA initiated a lawsuit against Denka in February 2023, but this was dropped earlier this year on foot of one of President Trump’s executive orders.
Denka has disputed the US EPA's findings.
However, in May of this year, it announced the closure of the Louisiana plant for maintenance.
“The thought that the wetsuits I wear, that allow me to experience such joy and fulfilment in the Atlantic Ocean here in Ireland, could also be causing serious harm to communities living beside neoprene factories is deeply unsettling,” Ward says.
L to R: Filmmakers Lewis Arnold, (myself) Demi Taylor and Chris Nelson receiving the award for ‘Best Campaign’ from environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. Credit: SAS
“We cannot enjoy our oceans at the expense of other people’s health and lives. Once I learned the story, I knew it had to be brought to an Irish audience,” she says.
Warns has switched to buying alternatives made of Yulex foam, a plant-based material that has been available since 2016.
The Irish premiere of The Big Sea takes place on Thursday, September 4, at Eclipse Cinemas, Bundoran, as part of the Salt Water Festival – a four-day celebration of Ireland’s vibrant surf culture.
Ward will be joined by the film-makers Arnold, Nelson and Taylor, for a question and answer session after the screening.
