Brits issued 'stop eating eggs' warning as 'forever chemicals' in one area spark panic

The presence of cancer-linked “forever chemicals” in some home-produced eggs has forced the Food Standards Agency to issue urgent advice to households in a single square kilometre of Lancashire. People living within 1km of the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone in Thornton-Cleveleys, near Blackpool, have been told to stop eating eggs from their own hens or ducks and to ensure no egg-laying poultry from the area enters the food chain.

The warning follows tests on eggs collected from a small number of domestic poultry keepers that showed elevated levels of PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – especially PFOA and PFOS. The FSA’s risk assessment, carried out with input from the Animal and Plant Health Agency, found that eating just one contaminated egg a week could reach or exceed the European Food Safety Authority’s safe lifetime tolerable weekly intake. The risk rises further when combined with PFAS from other foods.

The chemicals are linked to historic air emissions from the former ICI chemical works on the site, now occupied by AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd. PFOA was used in manufacturing processes from the 1950s until 2012 and released into the air, leading to deposition in surrounding soil that has now entered the food chain via backyard poultry.

A multi-agency group led by Wyre Council, involving the Environment Agency and the FSA, is investigating the legacy pollution, with the warning issued on February 2.

A spokesperson for the multi-agency group 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 have been in touch with the poultry keepers themselves and will write to all households within 1km of the Hillhouse site to share the Food Standards Agency advice. We will continue to liaise closely with the FSA on this matter.”

The spokesperson added: “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.”

PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment or the human body. They have been associated with increased risks of certain cancers, immune system suppression, developmental problems and other serious health effects.

This is the latest development in longstanding concerns around the Hillhouse site. Residents were previously advised to take a precautionary approach to eating home-grown fruit and vegetables, including washing and peeling produce to reduce soil intake, over fears of contamination from the same historic emissions.

The alert has triggered alarm among local smallholders and families who keep backyard chickens and ducks. Many have kept poultry for years, viewing home-grown eggs as a safe, healthy, and sustainable alternative to supermarket produce.

The advice applies only to domestically produced eggs and poultry; commercially produced eggs are unaffected. Letters are now being sent to every household in the one-kilometre zone.

Community drop-in sessions with experts from the agencies involved are scheduled for early March to answer questions and provide reassurance.

The FSA stressed: “The advice is precautionary and will be reviewed as further sampling and research results become available. The multi-agency investigation into the full extent of contamination continues.”