Home grown allotment veg at Thornton site found to be contaminated with PFOA chemical linked to cancer

Allotment holders and residents who live within 1 kilometre of the industrial site are being advised to take a precautionary approach to eating home grown produce while an investigation into potential contamination in the area takes place.

The investigation is being undertaken by the Environment Agency on behalf of Wyre Council.

It is looking into the potential release to air of the chemical Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) which was used at the former ICI site – now AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd – at Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone between the 1950s and 2012.

Further sampling has taken place at Occupation Road Allotments which is located next to the Hillhouse site.

The results show that PFOA is present both in samples of soil and in items of produce.

Wyre Council is now to write to allotment holders and residents living within 1 kilometre of the Hillhouse site to advise them of the latest update so that people can take a precautionary approach to eating home grown produce if they wish.

What the council says

The Leader of Wyre Council, Councillor Michael Vincent, said: “This investigation is lengthy and complex but we have pledged as a Council to keep the community updated as soon as we have any new information.“

“This information is intended for those who grown their own fruit and vegetables either at home or in an allotment setting

."Other countries facing similar scenarios took a precautionary ‘no regrets’ approach in relation to advice provided to local residents.

“We want to give our own community the same opportunity to make an informed choice about whether they wish to eat home grown produce in light of this most recent update.

“We do not have any evidence that eating this produce will cause specific harm but think residents should consider taking a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach given that the produce tested has higher levels of PFOA than is desirable.

“This is only until more information becomes available which will of course be shared as soon as possible.”

What is PFOA’s cancer link?

The National Cancer Institute (United States) says that Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the most well-studied PFAS, was first classified in 2014 as a possible human carcinogen, and in 2023, a working group upgraded PFOA to a human carcinogen

Cancer Research UK also reports that IARC (The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has finialised its evaluation of possible links between two ‘forever chemicals’ and cancer in humans. It has now classified one of them, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as cancer-causing, or carcinogenic

Official advice from the UK Food Standards Agency – the Government body responsible for protecting public health in relation to food in England, Wales and North Ireland – remains in place.

This is to wash and peel home grown produce to remove soil, dust and bacteria before eating.More information about the ongoing investigation is available here: www.wyre.gov.uk/multi-agency