Residents Near Chemicals Plant Advised to be Cautious About Home-Grown Vegetables
Residents and allotment holders near a Lancashire chemicals plant have been advised to take a ‘precautionary approach’ to eating food grown at home, due to concerns that soil is contaminated with PFAS, the forever chemicals.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as the ‘forever chemicals’ are a large family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals. They hardly degrade in the natural environment, leading to them lasting for generations. Exposure to some PFAS, such as PFOA and PFOS, has been linked to numerous adverse health effects, such as the promotion of certain cancers, disruption of the immune system, and reduced fertility.
It is estimated that between the 1950s and 2012, the AGC Chemicals plant on the coast of Lancashire released 115 tonnes of the now-banned chemical, PFOA, into air, soils, water and landfills. PFOA was restricted globally in 2019, and in 2023, the World Health Organisation categorised it as a group 1 carcinogen.
In July 2024, Wyre Council launched an investigation into PFOA soil contamination of land around the AGC Chemicals plant. In a recent update on 7th March 2025, the Council confirmed that PFOA has been detected in samples of soil and produce. Most of the 22 sample sites were within 500m of the plant, and all showed detectable levels of PFOA in soil.
Wyre Council previously advised local residents and allotment holders to wash and peel homegrown vegetables. However, the Council are now instructing allotment holders and residents within one kilometre of the site to ‘take precaution’ when eating homegrown produce.
Dr. Shubhi Sharma of CHEM Trust said:
“Asking people to take a “precautionary approach” to eating home grown food is a complete fudge. In other countries when high PFAS pollution levels have been found in communities the message from the authorities has been to not to eat food grown in the immediate vicinity. PFOA has been globally banned for a reason – it is a very toxic chemical and is harmful to people and the environment.
The UK government needs to urgently step up its response to these emerging pollution scandals across the UK. They should be providing clear support to residents and ensuring that the companies that cause this pollution are paying for the clean-up and any costs to local people.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of a case like this. In 2022, the Flemish government advised people living near the 3M factory in Antwerp to stop eating eggs and vegetables from their hens and gardens due to PFAS pollution from the plant. We interviewed Tycho Van Hauwaert, Policy officer on industry and circular economy at Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL), the Flemish umbrella NGO for environmental organisations, on the issue.
Additionally, in 2024, the UK’s highest known levels of PFAS were found in the groundwater of the small market town of Bentham, near the wastewater lagoons of the Angus Fire site. ENDS Report have released a 2-part podcast on the Bentham case and interviewed CHEM Trust’s director of Policy and Advocacy, Dr. Anna Watson.
Read more PFAS here.
