PFAS Blood Levels Near Thornton-Cleveleys Factory: What the Tests Found
70% of 49 people tested around the AGC Chemicals Europe factory in Thornton-Cleveleys, north of Blackpool, had combined PFAS levels above 20 ng/ml, results published in the week before 28 September 2026 found. The Guardian
The testing was organised by law firm Leigh Day with Dr Dave Megson of Manchester Metropolitan University and Watershed Investigations. Nearly 70% of those tested had raised levels of PFOA, one chemical in the PFAS group. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are called forever chemicals because they do not break down in the environment, lingering in soil and water like long-lasting residue. The Guardian
US guidance says a total above 20 ng/ml across seven PFAS chemicals means higher risk of harm, and doctors should consider more frequent checks. The UK has no guidance on a safe PFAS level in blood.
Resident Sam Hammond had a combined level of 25 ng/ml. Hammond's son had 111 ng/ml. PFAS in one of Hammond's duck eggs was so high that eating one egg a week would pass the European safe level ten times over. The Guardian
PFOA was emitted in huge quantities from the factory until 2012. It is a Group 1 carcinogen, known to cause cancer in people, and was banned globally in 2020. In 2024, Wyre Borough Council and the Environment Agency launched an investigation into PFOA contamination near the factory.
Residents near the Lancashire factory were told they could face serious health conditions. BBC Experts have cast doubt on a government-funded study of kidney cancer rates near the factory. The Guardian Wyre Borough Council says PFAS blood tests are not currently recommended because they are unlikely to give clear or clinically useful information. Wyre Borough Council More than 90 residents have expressed interest in a contamination claim against AGC Chemicals Europe. The Guardian
The broader context here is a mismatch between test results, safety thresholds, and medical advice. US clinicians have a number that prompts closer monitoring. UK residents have results with no domestic equivalent. European food values give a third reference point in the duck-egg finding. Local authorities are managing public concern with the investigation still open and the kidney-cancer evidence contested.
Looking ahead on liability and policy, the next tests will be about evidence, not diagnosis. Blood levels show exposure, not cause. A claim would need to link historic PFOA emissions to pathways of contamination and to personal risk. The 2024 investigation, the standing of the kidney-cancer study, and whether the UK adopts a blood-level framework will shape what happens next. For those tracking PFAS rules, Thornton-Cleveleys shows how old emissions can persist in bodies and food chains long after the source stopped.
