Residents of Bentham, North Yorkshire, have been found to have alarming levels of toxic forever chemicals in their blood, according to blood testing conducted for an ITV documentary. The town was previously identified as having the UK's highest recorded levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in groundwater, linked to a local factory that produced firefighting foam.
The testing revealed that one in four of the 39 participants had PFAS blood levels exceeding 20 ng/ml, placing them in the highest risk category according to US guidelines. The highest recorded level was 405 ng/ml in a former factory worker, more than 200 times the US risk threshold of 2 ng/ml.
Among those affected is Stephen Illston, 34, who has a PFAS level of 55 ng/ml and has experienced infertility. He said the findings provided an answer he had been searching for, as research links PFAS to reproductive health problems including lower sperm count.
Dr David Megson, a PFAS expert at Manchester Metropolitan University, described the levels as “exceptionally high” and “absolutely shocking” compared to the general US population. He noted that nearly all tested individuals were above average, with two-thirds in the top 5% and a third exceeding any expected background levels.
Angus Fire, the factory responsible for the contamination, said there is no accepted way to interpret PFAS blood tests internationally and that the sample size was small. However, Dr Tony Fletcher, a PFAS expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, highlighted that many non-workers also had high levels, indicating widespread environmental exposure.
