Egg warning over carcinogenic chemical near plant

People are being advised to avoid eating domestically-produced eggs or egg-laying poultry near to a Lancashire chemical plant after raised levels of a potentially cancer-causing substance were found.

The precautionary advice is linked to an investigation into historic contamination from part of the former ICI site, now operated by AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd, within the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone in Thornton-Cleveleys.

Wyre Council said scientists sampled eggs from a small number of domestic poultry keepers within 0.6 miles (1km) of the site and found elevated levels of chemicals.

The Food Standards Agency said eating just one of these eggs a week would go over the safe weekly limit.

In 2024 Wyre Council advised residents not to eat fruit and vegetables grown in the local soil over concerns about the levels of a potentially carcinogenic substance in the ground near to the plant.

The authority said samples of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) were found in an area in the south east of the site.

PFOA was used at the former ICI site between the 1950s and 2012 as part of the manufacturing process and released into the air.

It is a member of a family of chemicals referred to as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

Following testing of the eggs, PFAS levels were found to be "elevated", the council said.

A multi-agency group led by Wyre Council and carried out by the Environment Agency was conducting the investigation.

A spokesman said: "The risk assessment undertaken by the Food Standards Agency has concluded that certain PFAS – notably PFOA - are present in the eggs sampled at a level that could increase the risk of harm to human health.

"We understand this news is likely to cause concern in the community, but we would reassure people that the advice is issued on a precautionary basis to protect public health.

"This advice may be updated when additional research findings or new data become available."

Community drop-in events will be held in the local area in early March to allow residents to speak to experts from organisations involved in the multi-agency investigation.

AGC Chemicals Europe, which took over part of the ICI plant, said it stopped using PFOA in 2012, and that 40 years of monitoring showed "no significant impact" from emissions.

It said it "has never used or manufactured PFOS".

In 2024, after previous testing, Wyre District Council warned people living near to the site not to eat fruit and vegetables grown in local soil.

A BBC investigation into concerns about PFOA in the area heard from residents who feared their health may have been affected.

PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because of the time it takes for them to break down, which the PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel previously found was linked to serious health conditions.

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