Independent blood tests conducted by Manchester Metropolitan University found elevated levels of PFOA, a PFAS so-called forever chemical, in residents of Thornton-Cleveleys close to the AGC Chemicals factory. Forty-nine volunteers were tested after years of Environment Agency and Wyre Council investigations that found PFOA at raised levels in local soil, eggs and vegetables; two allotment sites have been closed and will be classed as contaminated land. AGC Chemicals used PFOA to manufacture a non-stick coating for frying pans until 2012, and investigators concluded PFOA was likely carried on air from the site. Test results released to residents on Wednesday included people placed in the highest-risk category, and individuals described readings as “off the scale”; one resident whose home sits on former factory land said he will take the results to his GP to record them. The UK Health Security Agency says PFAS monitoring is not currently recommended because tests are unlikely to provide clear information for individuals, so the independent testing was funded by investigative journalists Watershed and the charity Law for Change. Because PFOA has been classed by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen and was banned in the UK in 2020, the findings reinforce the Environment Agency’s local contamination measures and the advisories for residents within 1 km to peel garden-grown fruit and vegetables.
