Toxic substances from chemicals firm site found polluting protected river

theguardian.com:

Toxic substances from the site of a chemicals company have been found polluting a protected river in Lancashire at “extremely high levels”, in what has been described as a “huge concern”, an investigation by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations has uncovered.

More than 700 types of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in effluent coming from the site of AGC Chemicals’ plant at Thornton Cleveleys, near Blackpool, into the River Wyre which flows into Morecambe Bay.

The area into which the polluted effluent is flowing has been designated a marine protection zone since 2019 because it is important habitat for key fish species.

PFAS is a family of thousands of human-made substances known as “forever chemicals” because they are extremely persistent and will not break down in the environment for thousands of years.

Some are also known to be toxic and can accumulate in the human body. It is not illegal to release them into the environment, but activists have urged the government to introduce legal restrictions.

PFOA, one of the most-studied substances in the group, has been strongly linked to a wide range of diseases, including testicular and kidney cancer, thyroid disease, hypertension and ulcerative colitis. It has also been linked to high cholesterol, low birth weight, reduced immune function and developmental problems.

It is classed as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) with its use severely restricted under the Stockholm convention, a global treaty to which the UK is a signatory. The European Commission recently announced plans to outlaw the entire PFAS class of about 10,000 chemicals.

Analysis of samples of AGC’s effluent revealed levels of PFOA as high as 12,000 nanograms a litre