Yorkshire Town Residents Show 'Shocking' Levels of Cancer-Linked 'Forever Chemicals'
Residents of a Yorkshire town have been found to have worryingly high levels of 'forever chemicals' linked to cancer and other serious illnesses, according to blood testing conducted for a new ITV documentary. The findings, described by experts as 'shocking' and 'staggering', reveal a potential public health crisis in the community of Bentham, North Yorkshire.
The PFAS Contamination Crisis in Bentham
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of millions of chemicals often called 'forever chemicals' because they take an extremely long time to break down in the environment. Some of these chemicals are known and suspected carcinogens, capable of causing cancer by damaging cell DNA or inducing mutations.
For decades, Angus Fire - the main employer in Bentham - manufactured and tested PFAS firefighting foam at its factory. Previous investigations into groundwater testing on the Angus Fire site had revealed the highest known concentrations of PFAS ever recorded in the United Kingdom.
Alarming Blood Test Results
ITV News, makers of the documentary 'In Our Blood: The Forever Chemicals Scandal' airing this weekend, offered residents blood tests to discover their PFAS levels for the first time. Everyone who participated lives within a kilometre of the factory or is a former or current worker at Angus Fire.
In the UK, there are no official guidelines for safe levels of PFAS in blood, so guidance provided to Bentham residents comes from NASEM (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine), the scientific body advising the US government. NASEM states:
- If PFAS level in blood is between 2-20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), there is potential for adverse health effects
- If PFAS level exceeds 20 ng/ml, there is increased risk of adverse effects and clinicians should consider more frequent, targeted health screenings
Nine of the 39 people tested had PFAS levels above 20 ng/ml, putting them in the highest risk category. One former worker at Angus Fire recorded a blood PFAS level of 405 ng/ml - more than 200 times higher than the lower risk threshold.
Expert Analysis and Community Impact
Dr David Megson, an expert in environmental forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University who analysed the blood results, compared the levels in Bentham with the general population in America. He stated: "I was absolutely shocked when we started to run this data. Nearly everybody we tested was above average and two thirds of them were in the top 5%. A third of them were higher than anything we'd ever expect to see in the background population."
Dr Megson added: "I've done a few contamination studies in my time as a scientist and I think that this one is the one that stands out for just such a high proportion of people having elevated exposure of PFAS. It was quite staggering."
Some residents with cancer and other conditions known to be associated with PFAS exposure question whether their poor health could be linked to the contamination. Others worry about future impacts on their children and families.
Personal Stories from Affected Residents
Rachel Harrison grew up in Bentham and has raised her two young children there but never worked for Angus Fire. Her blood test revealed her level is 2 ng/ml, but her children were significantly higher - her three-year-old daughter's is 10 ng/ml and her one-year-old son's is 13 ng/ml.
Harrison told programme-makers: "Why am I so low if theirs are so high? I'm a bit shocked. You have to try and stay level about it and not be living in fear that my children might be affected later in life but you're just desperately hoping that they're not going to be ill from it or that they're not going to develop a cancer related to this."
She added: "We are actually planning to move out of Bentham. There's a lot of reasons why. If I have the opportunity to move my children away from something that could cause them harm, you're going to do that."
Stephen Illston, 34, who took part in the blood testing, discovered he has a PFAS level of 55 ng/ml. He's had trouble conceiving children and said his infertility issues led to poor mental health. PFAS has been associated with reproductive health problems among men, including lower sperm count.
Illston said: "It's good to hear it's not me, maybe it's the PFAS that's caused it. Finding out I have elevated PFAS in my blood is an answer that I've been searching for."
Company Response and Regulatory Context
In response to the PFAS blood test results in Bentham, an Angus Fire spokesperson stated there was "no accepted way of interpreting blood tests for PFAS internationally and there is limited agreement on the relationship between PFAS exposure, blood levels and health effects." They said it was "unfounded to classify the blood data as 'unusually high' in the UK context" and noted the test group was "extremely small."
The spokesperson added: "While we appreciate that these findings may cause concern, having raised PFAS levels in blood is neither an indicator of health, nor of the way in which PFAS has been absorbed."
Angus Fire said that since 2024, it has carried out significant investigative, containment, characterisation and remediation work, including a stormwater treatment system that will reduce PFAS in rainwater that runs off the site. The company stated: "Angus Fire has always followed guidelines as set out by the UK regulatory and health authorities. Our own understanding of these chemicals evolved at the same rate as those of the regulators."
Broader National and International Concerns
Across the UK, concern is growing over the threat posed by forever chemicals. There are thought to be up to 10,000 PFAS contaminated hotspots across the country, many linked to firefighting foam.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "The persistent nature of 'forever chemicals' poses a long-term challenge for the nation's ecosystems and health. Through our PFAS Plan, we are acting decisively to better understand and tackle the sources of PFAS and how they spread, while supporting the transition to safer alternatives. We will work in partnership with businesses, regulators and local communities to reduce the public's exposure to PFAS."
In America, greater awareness of PFAS has been driven by legal action. Lawyer Robert Bilott, whose story was made into the Hollywood film 'Dark Waters', raised the alarm on PFAS almost three decades ago. He says authorities worldwide have been too slow to recognise the health impacts of PFAS.
The documentary 'In Our Blood: The Forever Chemicals Scandal' airs on ITV1, bringing national attention to this critical environmental and public health issue affecting communities across the country.
