AGC consults on closing UK site

AGC Chemicals Europe is consulting with employees and their representatives about a proposal to cease operations at its manufacturing plant at the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone in Thornton Cleveleys, UK. This process is expected to last until late August, with closure potentially to follow at the end of the year. All 190 employees are affected.

The company stated that it has made this proposal “because the site has experienced significant financial and operational challenges, generating a loss for the past four years”. Despite continued investment, it said, “the situation is no longer sustainable in the context of a volatile and competitive market”.

However, the news came shortly after a national newspaper, The Guardian, revealed that more than 90 residents had signed up to be involved in a potential legal claim over contamination of the local area by PFAS produced from the site. This also received wide coverage from the local media.

Thornton Cleveleys uses perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to make polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), widely known as Teflon. It emitted about 49 tonnnes of PFOA between the 1950s and 2012. PFOA was banned worldwide in 2020 because of its links to kidney cancer. 

During investigations, the Environment Agency and the local authorities tested soil and local produce for PFOA and found extensive contamination. Meanwhile, a study commissioned by the government has just reported finding higher than expected rates of kidney cancer in the vicinity of the plant. It did not find any evidence of a cancer cluster or any environmental association, but outside experts described the findings as a “major source of concern” and called for further investigation, including blood testing.