Lancashire PFAS Plant Linked to Higher Kidney Cancer Rates

A government‑commissioned study has identified higher‑than‑expected rates of kidney cancer among residents living near the AGC Chemicals Europe manufacturing plant in Thornton‑Cleveleys, Lancashire. The facility, which operated from the 1950s until 2012, is estimated to have emitted about 49 tonnes of the carcinogenic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a type of forever chemical now banned worldwide.

While the study did not confirm a cancer cluster, experts called the findings a “major source of concern” and recommended further testing, including blood screening. Local authorities and the Environment Agency have begun investigations, testing soil and produce for PFOA, and have advised residents to avoid eggs from within a 1 km radius of the site and to wash and peel home‑grown food. No safe level for PFOA has been established in the UK.

Affected locals include Liz Hurst, a kidney‑cancer survivor who lives near the former plant, and 61‑year‑old allotment holder Alan Hodson, whose beetroot showed the highest PFOA levels of all samples tested. Regulators are weighing possible shutdown of the site as scientific analysis continues.