Gregory Fox will never forget the sickening smell of thick black smoke from burning toxic waste which would fill his lungs as he played outdoors with his brothers and sisters back in the 1960s.

But that aroma is nothing compared to the stink he's threatening to kick up if he continues to be left in the dark over the long-term environmental effects of US military activity at the former baselands at Southside.

Mr. Fox, 50, was one of seven siblings who would be dragged inside their St. David's home to get away from the blanket of smoke as materials burned at Kindley Air Force Base once or twice a week.

Four decades later, those memories are still haunting him as he harbours new fears for his health, and that of his family and neighbours, while calls to release a report into the effects of military activity fall on deaf ears.

The investigation was carried out by Canada-based A.L. Lab Group last summer, shortly after US veteran Ronald Slater alleged he was ordered to burn hundreds of barrels of deadly defoliant Agent Orange at the base.

However, the Ministry of Works and Engineering, which commissioned the report, has refused numerous requests to make it public.

This stance has unnerved Mr. Fox and left him vowing to organise a protest to highlight the people's right to share A.L. Lab Group's findings. If there is nothing to hide in the report, asks Mr. Fox, why is Government so keen to keep it away from the public eye?

"Government has had this thing done and they don't want to make it public. Why not?" the father-of-two asked The Royal Gazette.

"There's something wrong somewhere. The people need to know, especially the people who lived in that area. Whatever the outcome is, we need to know. Whatever they were doing down there, if it's wrong we need to know. I would like to know what was in that report. What the heck are they hiding?"

Recalling his days growing up as a neighbour of the baseland, Mr. Fox said: "Sometimes the wind would change in the direction of the mainland and we got flooded with that smoke.

"Sometimes it was completely black, and it smelled. What a horrible smell. Remember what the Pembroke Dump smelled like when that caught fire? Oh, it was terrible. We are still not sure what chemicals were in it.

"We were always on top of the hill, outside playing with all that smoke. I don't think my dad knew what was going on down there. I don't think my mom did. None of us did. A lot of the time they kept us in the house. They closed one side of the house. Clothes had to come off the line.

"Back in the day, I don't know if they looked into what they were burning. Mom and dad never said anything except that it wasn't safe for us to go outside."

At a press conference shortly after A.L. Lab Group's report was completed, former Works Minister Dennis Lister offered these words of reassurance: "Dioxin levels in the samples (from the baseland) are typical for levels observed in soils Island-wide.

"Quoting the report: 'The analysis of soils taken from the landfill site does not suggest the landfill to be a specific source of dioxins to the surrounding environment.'

"In summary, and most importantly, the results of the extensive testing conducted do not suggest the presence of dioxins to be a health risk."

But the former Minister and the Ministry have repeatedly dismissed requests to release the report so that people can make up their own minds on the findings.

According to Mr. Fox, this provokes two serious questions:

• Was the investigation into the safety of the land thorough enough to stand up to public scrutiny?

• Did the report produce any other findings of concern which need to be kept hidden?

Of course, there's every chance that the investigation was thorough and conclusive, and that it threw up no worrying findings whatsoever. But that's Mr. Fox's point. Release the report, he says, prove his fears are unfounded and put his mind at rest.

Outlining his doubts over the investigation, he said: "I've been down that area. It's still fenced off and all overgrown. I can't see where they've been drilling. I want proof. Maybe they didn't drill in the right spot. Maybe that's why they don't want to release the report."

Vowing to rally support among St. David's residents, he added: "I know people who lived in the area at the time. They have a right to know. I don't know why no one has come forward but someone should. I don't know who I have got to see to have them release that report.

"Look at me and my siblings. What's going to happen to us in our later years? They don't know. We might need to talk to health experts about what effect this could have on us.

"If they won't release the report freely, we will get a petition and go from there. I know it's the beginning of the year but this has been an ongoing thing for a good part of last year. This guy Slater: he's not going to be left in the dark, because I'm here now.

"It's going to create a big stink like it was back in the day. If they don't think we are for real, they have got to think again. They have had long enough. I'm going to venture down there and see if I can see some evidence that they have been there and that they have done it thoroughly."