About Hillhouse Watch

What is this site?

Hillhouse Watch is an independent information resource for residents of Thornton-Cleveleys. It provides documented, verifiable data about PFAS contamination at and around the Hillhouse industrial estate. The site compiles information from official sources, peer-reviewed research, and regulatory documents in an accessible format.

Audience

This site is intended for residents, researchers, and anyone seeking factual information about environmental conditions at the Hillhouse estate and surrounding area.

Independence

Hillhouse Watch is independently maintained. It is not affiliated with any campaign group, political party, government agency, law firm, or commercial interest. It receives no funding from organisations, law firms, commercial entities, or campaign groups.

The Hillhouse Industrial Estate — Historical Context

The Hillhouse industrial estate has been an active chemical manufacturing site since the 1950s. Over its history, the site has been operated by multiple companies:

  • ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries): Original operators (1950s–1999). PFOA was used as a processing aid during this period.
  • AGC Chemicals Europe: Current operators of the fluoropolymer production facility (1999–present). Continued PFOA use until 2012, then switched to EEA-NH4 (a fluorochemical used as a replacement for PFOA in manufacturing).
  • Various other tenants: The Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone hosts multiple industrial operators.

Attribution complexity: The site has shared drains, a long history, and chemicals that have settled from the air over decades. This makes it hard to pin contamination on a single operator without detailed investigation. Old contamination from the ICI years, activity by current operators, and shared site infrastructure all make it difficult to say exactly who is responsible for what.

What we do know: The most documented source of PFAS data for this site comes from AGC Chemicals Europe’s regulatory submissions, because they have disclosed significant information through Environment Agency permits. This does not mean AGC is necessarily the sole or primary source of all contamination — it means they have provided the most publicly accessible data.

Methodology

All information presented on this site is sourced from:

  • Official government reports and regulatory filings
  • Peer-reviewed scientific research (studies independently checked by other scientists before publication)
  • Regulatory submissions and public statements from site operators
  • Public health agency guidance
  • Environmental monitoring data

Claims are linked to their sources. Where information is uncertain, contested, or where attribution is unclear, this is noted.

Transparency

  • All updates are recorded on the changelog
  • Sources are cited and linked
  • Corrections and additional verified information are welcomed

Privacy

This site respects your privacy.

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Limitations

This site presents publicly available information and does not constitute legal, medical, or financial advice. For specific concerns, consult appropriate professionals.

Attribution of contamination to specific sources requires investigation that, in many cases, has not been conducted. Where this site cites data from a specific company’s regulatory submissions, it states this explicitly. Where contamination has been detected but the source is not confirmed, this is noted.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or additional information from verified sources can be submitted via the contact form at the bottom of any page.

Last updated: March 2026