Blood tests have found really high levels of PFOA in dozens of residents in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, after years of concern about forever chemicals near the AGC Chemicals factory. On Wednesday, 49 residents were told their results after independent testing.
Sam said the results for her family came as a shock. “When we opened the results...it was like, my God, that is ridiculously off the scale,” she said, adding: “I feel guilty because I've introduced [my children] to that way of life. I know it isn't my fault, but the guilt is horrific. Knowing that I've offloaded what levels I probably had over the years into those children when I breastfed them - that's heartbreaking,”
Thornton-Cleveleys blood tests
The tests involved 49 residents who volunteered for blood screening. Andrew Molloy said: “I was half expecting it to be just normal,” and added: “Because the investigation here has all been focused on - you're only really being at risk if you eat fruit and veg from the garden or grow your own eggs - which I don't.”
He said he found out he was in the highest-risk category. That gives residents a more specific picture of exposure than soil or food checks alone, because blood tests show what has built up in the body over time.
AGC Chemicals and PFOA
The Environment Agency has investigated contamination of soils and locally grown food in the area for years, and the findings linked the likely source to the nearby AGC Chemicals factory. The investigation said the PFOA likely came from the factory after being carried in the air.
AGC Chemicals used PFOA to manufacture coating for frying pans until 2012. PFOA has been banned in the UK since 2020, and the World Health Organization classed it as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Wyre Council land checks
The Environment Agency and Wyre Council have been testing the area close to the factory since 2024. Those tests found PFOA at elevated levels in the soil, eggs and locally grown vegetables, and two allotment sites have been closed.
Residents within 1km of the factory have been advised to peel any fruit or vegetables grown in their gardens. The two allotment sites are due to be classified as contaminated land, while the longer-term health response has not been set out.
