Independent blood testing of 49 residents living near the Hillhouse industrial site in Thornton-Cleveleys has revealed that nearly 70 percent carry elevated levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a cancer-linked forever chemical, placing them in high-risk categories comparable to contaminated communities near industrial plants in the United States.
Independent Blood Testing Reveals High PFOA Levels Near Hillhouse Industrial Site
Residents living near a manufacturing facility in a Lancashire town have learned that they carry significant concentrations of PFOA in their bloodstreams. The voluntary testing initiative involved 49 participants living near the Hillhouse industrial site in Thornton-Cleveleys. The assessments were arranged by law firm Leigh Day and carried out by experts from Manchester Metropolitan University, following a refusal by the UK Health Security Agency to recommend routine monitoring on the grounds that tests are unlikely to provide clear individual guidance.
Instead independent tests were offered by Manchester Metropolitan University, paid for by investigative journalists Watershed and Law for Change – which funds cases covering environmental issues. Forty-nine residents volunteered, and they were told their blood test readings on Wednesday. Andrew Molloy found out he was in the highest-risk category.
I was half expecting it to be just normal,
he said. 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.
Andrew’s home was built on land that used to be part of the factory. He underwent the tests because he was worried about persistent health problems in his family.
One of the first things I'm going to do is take [the results] to my GP and at least get it on my record. They seem to refuse to do anything related to this, but now I have hard information and data,
he said.
Mario Panteli, who was visibly shaken by his results, which were among the highest, said it was quite emotional, a shock
. He added: I bought a property, assuming that this is our forever home. I'm going to have to stop my children from going in the garden, front and back. I feel constricted, like I'm in a cage now.
The findings indicate that 69.4 percent of those tested have PFOA concentrations high enough to place them in a category associated with an increased risk of severe health conditions, including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and ulcerative colitis. None of the participants fell into the lowest-risk category. The average recorded level among the group reached 26 nanograms per millilitre. Because there is no UK data the results have been compared to levels in the US.
Comparison to International Standards and Industrial History
Researchers found higher than average levels among people living within one kilometre of the factory, while 75% of those regularly eating home-grown fruit and vegetables had results in the high-risk category. PFOA, a member of the PFAS family of chemicals known as forever chemicals
, was used at the site until 2012. Wyre Council and the Environment Agency have already identified elevated levels of PFOA in nearby soil.
Dr David Megson described the data as ‘staggering’. Dr David Megson, who carried out the testing at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the results made him feel sick.
To me, it shows something seriously wrong has happened to that community in that area, that the levels were far higher than anything we would have ever expected to see in the general population.
