Food warning over carcinogenic chemical at plant

The former ICI plant in Thornton-Cleveleys used PFOA in its processes

An investigation has been launched into the contamination of gardens and allotments by a potentially cancer-causing substance from a chemical plant.

The probe is into pollution by a chemical called Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in the Thornton-Cleveleys area of Wyre, Lancashire.

PFOA - which was used in everyday items like non-stick pans and waterproof clothing - was used at the former ICI site.

People have been urged to wash any fruit or vegetables they have grown, but the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said they do not know "what, if any" risk to the public there is.

Not yet clear

Wyre Council said ICI, and subsequent site owner AGC Chemicals, were permitted to use PFOA from the 1950s to 2012.

In July the council wrote to residents advising them to "continue to enjoy using your garden space as you normally would" but to "wash hands thoroughly after working or playing in the garden or allotment and "wash and peel any produce grown in the soil in order to remove any soil or dust".

The Environment Agency's investigation will look at soil samples from land near the site, at Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone, to check if PFOA is there and how much of it there is.

In 2019, PFOA was added to the Stockholm International Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and last year it was classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

A UKHSA spokesman said: "At present it is not clear what, if any, public health risk there may be around the site."

Dr John Astbury, its north west consultant, said it will "consider the potential risks and provide an assessment on the potential exposure as the investigation continues and more information becomes available".