Mother fears children poisoned by cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’ near factory
69% of residents tested had PFOA levels categorised as high risk
A mother living near a Lancashire chemical factory said she fears her children may have been exposed to “forever chemicals” after blood tests found raised levels in local residents.
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Sam Hammond, 48, who has lived close to the Hillhouse manufacturing site in Thornton-Cleveleys for 21 years, said she was left feeling guilty after tests found increased levels of PFOA in her blood, as well as in her husband and eldest son.
PFOA is one of a group of PFAS chemicals, often known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment for long periods.
It has been classified as carcinogenic.
Ms Hammond, a mother-of-five, said: “There’s that guilt where I think I have potentially poisoned them because I had these chemicals in my system.”
She said her eldest son, 21, recorded the highest level in the family.
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Ms Hammond said her concerns had grown after soil samples were taken from the allotments beside her garden.
The family stopped eating home-grown vegetables after becoming worried chemicals in the soil could be contaminating their food.
Ms Hammond added: “There are health issues we have had but I never put two and two together before.
“All of the children are neurodiverse but there is no family history of that. One of my children has an extra chromosome.
“When I suffered the stroke in 2020 it had been lockdown and we had been at home growing a lot of vegetables in the garden.”
Testing arranged by law firm Leigh Day found 69% of the 49 residents had PFOA levels above 20 nanograms per millilitre - categorised by the firm as high risk.
None of those tested had levels below 2 nanograms per millilitre, which was classified as low risk.
The average PFOA level across the group was 26 nanograms per millilitre.
Higher levels were found among people living within 1km of the industrial site, while three-quarters of people who ate home-grown fruit and vegetables fell into the high-risk category.
Wyre Council began a multi-agency investigation in 2024 into whether PFOA used at the Hillhouse site may have contaminated neighbouring land.
Some allotments have since been temporarily closed.
The Food Standards Agency has advised residents within 1km of the site to wash and peel home-grown produce before eating it, and has warned against consuming home-produced eggs after tests suggested one egg a week could meet or exceed safety limits.
AGC Chemicals Europe, which operates the Hillhouse site and plans to end manufacturing there at the end of the year, said it recognised the concerns raised by the testing.
A spokesperson said the wider investigation was ongoing and there had been no formal determination of land contamination.
The firm also pointed to government guidance stating PFAS blood testing does not predict whether an individual will develop health problems.