Bentham Residents Face PFAS Toxin Crisis

0:00On March 20, residents in the small North Yorkshire town of Bentham have alarming levels of toxic for-ever chemicals in their blood. These per and polyfluoroalcul substances, or PFAS, persist in the environment and link to cancers and other illnesses. The town already had the UK's highest recorded PFAS in groundwater near an old firefighting foam factory. Blood tests from 39 locals and ex-workers revealed the highest reading at 405 nanograms per milliliter, over 200 times A. US risk threshold of 2 nanograms per milliliter. Nearly a quarter exceeded 20 nanograms per milliliter, a level calling for closer health checks according to US guidelines. People like 34-year-old Steven Ilston, with 55 nanograms per milliliter, blame PFAS for fertility struggles and mental health woes. Experts, including scientists from Manchester metropolitan university, called the results shocking, far above typical background levels. An internal

1:00environment agency report points the airborne spread from factory foam tests, contaminating gardens and produce. The firm stopped PFAS testing in 2022, but says blood levels don't prove health risks or tie directly to them. As awareness grows, some experts suggest drugs like Calisevellum or blood removal to lower levels in high-risk cases options residents can discuss with. Doctors ahead of an upcoming ITV documentary.