In our blood: the forever chemicals scandal

High levels of forever chemicals linked to cancer and other serious illnesses have been found in residents of a Yorkshire town following blood testing by ITV’s Exposure series. For decades, Angus Fire, the main employer in Bentham, North Yorkshire, manufactured and tested PFAS firefighting foam at its factory. PFAS are a group of millions of chemicals often described as ‘forever chemicals’ because they take an extremely long time to break down in the environment. Some of these chemicals are known and suspected carcinogens. In 2024, environmental journalist Pippa Neill, who appears in the documentary, conducted a year-long investigation after obtaining documents showing as far back as 2008, testing of groundwater on the Angus Fire site had revealed the highest known concentrations of PFAS ever recorded in the UK. Angus Fire says there is no proven pathway from their site to the residents, and it is likely that the pathway is from ordinary household and day-to-day items, rather than proximity to or the activities that took place on the Angus site. Directed and Produced by Martha Elwell Associate Producer: Pippa Neill Assistant Producer: Geeta Wedderburn Producer: Lotti Norman Film Editor: Marco Ruffatti BFE Executive Producers: Natalie Jane Hill & Delilah Jeary • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en Follow ITV News on Instagram:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Facebook:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on X:   / itvnews   • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en Follow ITV News on Instagram:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Facebook:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on X:   / itvnews