Changelog

9 March 2026 (New Content: BBC Coverage, Leigh Day Town Hall)

Blog Posts — New

  • New post: “BBC News Lancashire Covering Hillhouse Story — and a Leigh Day Public Meeting Planned for May” (bbc-coverage-leigh-day-town-hall.md) — BBC News Lancashire confirmed filming in Thornton-Cleveleys on 10 March 2026 (journalist: Yunus Mulla). Leigh Day public town hall meeting announced for late May 2026 at Thornton-Cleveleys FC. Leigh Day public contact email included. Specific dates to be updated when confirmed.

8 March 2026 (New Content: FOI Refusal, Residential Testing, 1km Zone, Planning, PFAS Plan)

Blog Posts — New

  • Biomonitoring blog post updated (biomonitoring-refused-three-day-gap.md): Previously marked [UNVERIFIED]. Now updated with confirmed sources. Council Leader’s call for blood tests: ENDS Report, 3 March 2026. Formal refusal of biomonitoring: Wyre Council FOI response, 6 March 2026 (WhatDoTheyKnow.com). Exact wording from FOI: “not appropriate,” results “uninterpretable,” would cause “additional distress.” Analysis reframed to remove editorial language while preserving the documented three-day sequence. [UNVERIFIED] tags retained only for items still unconfirmed (UKHSA guidance consultation, coordination between leader and FOI response).

  • New post: “The 1km Zone: Three Definitions, No Map, No Measurement Point” — Documents three inconsistent formulations of the advisory zone across official council documents; no published map; no measurement methodology; FOI Q5 redirected to Environment Agency. Includes a “What We Are Not Claiming” section. All three formulation citations marked as pending document-level confirmation.

  • New post: “Residential Soil Testing: 71 Properties, 7 Designated High Risk” — Documents residential testing programme: 71 properties tested, PFOA in majority, 7 designated high risk, no residential Part 2A. Covers planning moratorium: government declined Wyre’s request; council has existing LPA powers under Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Removes inference about named official’s knowledge.

  • New post: “The UK’s First PFAS Plan: Published, Challenged, and Being Watched” — Defra PFAS Plan (3 February 2026); Emma Hardy MP’s parliamentary challenge on Environment Act 2021 “polluter pays” compliance [UNVERIFIED — Hansard reference needed]; Leigh Day tracking statutory compliance. Emma Hardy section clearly marked [UNVERIFIED].

Content Updates — Existing Pages

  • health.md: Added FOI biomonitoring refusal (6 March 2026) — exact wording added, WDTK link, documented divergence with Council Leader’s public call noted.
  • faq.md: Blood testing Q&A updated with formal FOI refusal; added international comparator note. Actions section updated with 71 properties / 7 high-risk stat; planning moratorium note added; biomonitoring refusal wording added. Disclaimer date updated to March 2026.
  • take-action.md: 1km zone “About the boundary” box expanded with three inconsistent formulations, no-map note, FOI Q5 redirect. Parliamentary representation updated with Defra PFAS Plan and Emma Hardy MP item [UNVERIFIED].
  • the-numbers.md: New section added under Phase 3 residential data: 71 properties tested, PFOA in majority, 7 high-risk, no residential Part 2A.
  • about.md: “Last updated” changed from February 2026 to March 2026.

6 March 2026 (Navigation Restructure, Content Updates, Part 2A)

  • Reduced from 13 top-level nav items to 6. The previous navigation bar had grown unwieldy. Reorganised into:
    • Home
    • The Facts (dropdown: What is PFAS, The Numbers, Regulatory Context, Evidence, Sources)
    • Health
    • Take Action (dropdown: Information & Resources, Resources, FAQ)
    • About
    • Contact
  • Changelog moved to footer only (was a top-level nav item).
  • Dropdown menus work on desktop (hover) and mobile (tap to expand).
  • Active state propagates to dropdown parent button when a child page is active.

Duplicate Title Headings Removed

  • The Hugo template already outputs a styled H1 from the page frontmatter title. Every content page also had a redundant H2 at the top repeating the title. Removed from: Evidence, FAQ, Health, Resources, Sources, Information & Resources, The Numbers, Regulatory Context, What is PFAS.

Part 2A Contaminated Land Classification (5 March 2026)

  • Occupation Road Allotments: Environment Agency concluded this site meets statutory criteria for formal classification as Contaminated Land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act. Based on PFOA found in both soil samples and produce. If formal determination is made, Wyre Council will “identify those responsible and secure remediation.” Added to take-action.md, faq.md, evidence.md, untold.md, and homepage.
  • Sandringham Avenue Allotments: Closed precautionarily pending scientific interpretation of soil results.
  • Primary source: Wyre Council, 5 March 2026. All previous [VERIFY] tags on allotment closures replaced with this URL.

Root Uptake Science — Wash and Peel Caveat

  • Added to take-action.md and faq.md: The EA’s Contaminated Land classification was based on PFOA found within vegetables (not only surface soil). PFAS contamination in produce results from root uptake — plants absorb these chemicals as they grow. Washing and peeling removes surface soil but cannot remove PFAS already absorbed into plant tissue. The FSA’s continued “wash and peel” advice for garden produce — given this produce finding — has not been publicly explained.

FSA Advice Updated (5 March 2026)

  • New FSA recommendation added: residents within 1km should consider raised beds with fresh soil when growing produce in gardens or allotments.

Permit Compliance Failures (September 2025)

  • Added to the-numbers.md and untold.md: September 2025 compliance data recorded dioxins at 3.7× permit limit, particulates at 47× permit limit, and thermal oxidiser offline 43 days. The permit has no PFAS monitoring requirements on any of its 15+ air emission points.

W1 Shared Discharge Point

  • Added to evidence.md, the-numbers.md: W1 discharge point (20,624 ng/L PFOA) is shared by AGC Chemicals Europe and Victrex PLC (Dalmijn et al., 2025). The figure reflects combined output from both operations and cannot be attributed to a single operator without further investigation.

Historical Discharge Discrepancy

  • Added note to the-numbers.md and evidence.md: Two figures appear in the public record — 178,000 kg (Guardian/Watershed FOI, Sep 2024) and approximately 145,000 kg (EA estimate in Dalmijn et al., 2025). The discrepancy has not been explained.

Egg Testing Results

  • Added to evidence.md: Wyre Council-commissioned testing found 83 µg/kg in one duck egg [figure from ENDS Report and BBC, not yet independently verified]. Leigh Day-commissioned testing at four properties within 1km found all four exceeded the EFSA safe limit of 4.4 µg/kg (17 February 2026).

Health — Blood Testing Call

  • Added to health.md: Wyre Council leader publicly called for PFAS blood testing for residents and a “proper inquiry” into local health (ENDS Report, 3 March 2026).

Homepage

  • Added new stat: first Part 2A contaminated land classification (Occupation Road Allotments, 5 March 2026).
  • Context box updated to reference 5 March 2026 development.

6 March 2026 (Light Theme Default, Content Update)

Light Theme — New Default

  • Switched to light theme as default. Dark theme is still available via a toggle button in the navigation bar (🌙 Dark / ☀ Light). Preference is saved in your browser and remembered on return visits.
  • Rationale: this is a public health information site for a broad community audience. Light theme is more readable for general use and carries greater institutional clarity.
  • All colours verified against WCAG AA accessibility standard (4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio).
  • Dark theme fully preserved as CSS overrides — no content or layout changes.

Content Updates

  • Drop-in sessions added to Information & Resources page: 12 and 17 March 2026, Thornton-Cleveleys FC, Gamble Road, 4–7 PM.
  • Allotment closures (5 March 2026) added to current official advice section. At least two Thornton allotments reported as closed following soil test results (Blackpool Gazette, 5 March 2026 — pending Wyre Council confirmation).
  • How the guidance has changed — new table added to Information & Resources page documenting the progression from “wash and peel” (July 2024) to allotment closures (March 2026), with sources.
  • 1km boundary caveat clarified in Information & Resources: no publicly available scientific justification for the 1km radius has been identified; contamination detected airborne at 20km; residents beyond 1km should not assume they are unaffected.
  • Phase 3 residential soil data (February 2026) added to The Numbers page: first confirmed residential property results (WSP code SP510); all 25 samples exceeded Dutch benchmark; peak 119 µg/kg at 0.6m depth, still rising when sampling stopped; depth-increasing pattern consistent with groundwater migration.

25 February 2026 (UI, Cancer Stats, and Content Update)

UI and Readability Fixes

  • Light-background contrast (evidence.md, health.md, the-numbers.md): Eight inline-styled divs used light backgrounds (#f5f5f5, #f0f7ff, #fff5e6, #e8f4f8) which caused white text on pale backgrounds — impossible to read on the dark theme. All converted to dark-theme-compatible semi-transparent equivalents:
    • Grey note boxes → rgba(255,255,255,0.06) with neutral border
    • Amber/warning note boxes → rgba(204,122,0,0.12) with amber border
    • Blue information boxes → rgba(0,102,204,0.10–0.12) with blue border
  • Map caption colour (the-numbers.md): Caption text using color: #666 (insufficient contrast on dark background) changed to #8b9499 for improved readability.

Cancer Statistics — Tone

  • health.md (Local Cancer Prevalence section): The 35–43% figure was previously presented in a red-bordered .stat-item.difference box — visually alarming framing. Replaced with a plain paragraph embedded within the caveat context. Added explicit statement: “Without the standardised incidence rates, it is not possible to assess whether age or other factors account for this difference.” Retained the caveats-first ordering established in the February 18 rewrite.
  • evidence.md (BBC Cancer Statistics entry): Expanded caveat to note that Thornton-Cleveleys has an older-than-average demographic and that unadjusted rates in such areas will naturally exceed national averages. Removed “above national average” as a headline finding; reframed as “reported as being above the national average” with caveats integrated. Noted that underlying standardised incidence rates were not published in the BBC article.

Content Updates (resources.md)

  • Added CHEM Trust Hillhouse-specific articles: Three articles directly covering the Hillhouse/AGC situation (Feb 5 2026; 2025 vegetables warning; 2025 PFAS hotspots feature)
  • Added Guardian Feb 2026 article covering the UK PFAS action plan
  • Added UK Government PFAS Action Plan (February 2026) to official resources
  • Added UK Environmental Audit Committee PFAS Inquiry (2025) — includes note on Dr Megson’s written evidence (PFAS0073)
  • Added Italian Miteni criminal case (2025) to legal information — first successful criminal prosecution of PFAS pollution in Europe; 11 executives sentenced, 350,000 people affected
  • Added France PFAS ban in clothing and cosmetics (February 2026) — first country to legislate such a ban
  • Updated CHEM Trust organisations entry to reference Hillhouse-specific coverage and EAC inquiry submission

18 February 2026 (Fact-Check Fixes)

Following a three-part fact-check review (source verification, logic & consistency, hostile reader analysis), the following fixes were applied:

Source Verification Fixes

  • Cancer statistics (health.md): Added explicit caveat that the 4.42-4.58% figures “do not appear in the BBC article and the original dataset has not been independently verified” — moved caveats BEFORE the statistics to ensure readers see context first
  • 178-tonne sub-figures (the-numbers.md): Added “[breakdown figures from EA permit documentation — specific permit version/FOI document to be confirmed]” to each breakdown figure (49,100 / 54,300 / 6,200 / 5,100 / 63,300 kg)
  • C&EN citation (evidence.md): Made more specific with link to Chemical & Engineering News and note “[article title/author to be confirmed]”
  • Guardian article date (the-numbers.md): Added specific link to 24 September 2024 Guardian article for 178-tonne figure
  • DuPont Parkersburg figure (the-numbers.md): Added “[source to be confirmed]” to the ~13,000 ng/L figure
  • $671M settlement (resources.md): Added New York Times source link for the DuPont settlement figure
  • EU Directive 2020/2184 (the-numbers.md): Added direct EUR-Lex link
  • Stockholm Convention (untold.md): Added source link for PFOS 2009 restriction claim
  • EEA-NH4 testing claims (untold.md): Added source attribution notes and corrected “soils” to “water samples” per Megson 2024 paper
  • Zone sizes (the-numbers.md): Added “[specific regulatory documents for each country’s zone sizes to be compiled]”
  • Area calculations (the-numbers.md): Added “[Area calculations derived from mapped boundaries — methodology available on request]”
  • “thousands of chemicals” (what-is-pfas.md): Changed to cite OECD figure (4,700+) with link, noting estimates vary
  • Lead/asbestos ban dates (what-is-pfas.md): Corrected lead to “Phased out 2000” (not 1999), added specific legislation links
  • No cancer studies claim (what-is-pfas.md): Added “[based on review of ECHA database and EA risk evaluation]”

Logic & Consistency Fixes

  • EU drinking water comparison (the-numbers.md): Added prominent note box explaining: measurements are from discharge water not drinking water; EU standard applies to treated drinking water at tap; comparison used because it’s the most widely understood benchmark; discharge enters watercourses where diluted before abstraction
  • Comparison table footnote (the-numbers.md): Added asterisk note clarifying “discharge water — around 206× EU drinking water standard” and explanatory footnote below table
  • Evidence.md, faq.md: Clarified EU drinking water comparison throughout — explicitly noting these are discharge measurements, not drinking water
  • Zwijndrecht zone claim (take-action.md): Added “[source for specific zone changes to be confirmed]”
  • Computer modelling claim (take-action.md): Added “[based on review of publicly available documents as of February 2026 — if such modelling exists in non-public documents, we are not aware of it]”

Hostile Reader Fixes

  • Cancer statistics positioning (health.md): Moved entire caveat box BEFORE the statistics, not after — ensures readers see limitations before numbers
  • Cancer statistics (evidence.md): Reworded to lead with caveats: “Important caveats: This is third-hand data…”
  • Comparison table context (what-is-pfas.md): Added note: “This table shows regulatory timeline; it is not intended to imply toxicological equivalence between these substances”

[source to be confirmed] Tags Retained

The following tags are intentionally retained — they show transparency about what we don’t yet know:

  • AGC’s public position on PFOS usage (untold.md, faq.md, evidence.md, the-numbers.md)
  • AGC’s public position that PFOA was not manufactured (untold.md)
  • Specific EA document for EEA-NH4 testing exclusion
  • Guardian article specifics for Megson method development

18 February 2026 (Factual & Readability Pass)

Factual Fixes

  • Removed unsupported claims:

    • Removed “Hazard known 1960s (internal company research)” from what-is-pfas.md — imputes corporate knowledge without citation
    • Removed 3M Zwijndrecht 68,900,000 ng/L peak PFOA figure from the-numbers.md comparison table — extraordinary claim without verifiable source
    • Removed Megson “giant chunk of toxic material” quote from untold.md — too inflammatory for factual resource
    • Removed European site financial impact figures (€571M, €70M+) that lacked specific verifiable sources

  • Reframed unverified claims as information gaps:

    • Cancer prevalence statistics (35-43% above average) now include explicit caveat noting: data is third-hand (NHS → Ribble Rivers Trust → BBC), age standardisation unknown, no causal link established, and ward-level data is an information gap
    • “Has not been publicly explained” → reframed as “has not been determined” (neutral language, no implication of concealment)

  • Fixed editorial URL aliases:

    • Removed /what-they-dont-tell-you/ alias from untold.md (retained /the-untold-story/ for link stability)

  • Date correction:

    • Guardian article date corrected from “Feb 28, 2023” to “Feb 24, 2023” in resources.md (matches actual URL)

Readability Improvements

  • Unit definitions added throughout:

    • ng/L explained as “nanograms per litre” with EU comparison (e.g., “20,624 ng/L — around 206 times the EU drinking water standard”)
    • µg/kg explained as “micrograms per kilogram”
    • Added unit guide box to the-numbers.md

  • Technical terms defined on first use:

    • EEA-NH4: “a fluorochemical used as a replacement for PFOA in manufacturing”
    • Biomonitoring: “blood and urine testing to check for chemicals in the body”
    • Reprotoxic: “suspected of harming fertility or unborn children”
    • Non-targeted analysis: “a screening technique that looks for any chemicals present”
    • Organofluorine: “a broader category of fluorine-containing compounds, including PFAS”
    • Atmospheric deposition: “chemicals that settled from the air over decades”
    • Precursor compounds: “chemicals that can change into PFOS in the environment”
    • Ulcerative colitis: “a bowel disease”
    • Pre-eclampsia: “a serious pregnancy condition involving high blood pressure”
    • Environmental permits: “legal documents that set the rules for what a company can discharge”
    • Peer-reviewed: “studies independently checked by other scientists before publication”

  • Health page restructured:

    • Added plain-English summary box at top with key points
    • Moved caveats after facts (GOV.UK content design pattern)
    • Simplified language throughout

  • Long sentences split:

    • Multiple compound sentences over 25 words broken into shorter, clearer sentences across all pages

  • Passive voice reduced:

    • “has not been publicly explained” → “has not been determined”
    • “has been detected” → “researchers detected” / “testing found” where appropriate

  • European comparison table:

    • Added prominent context box explaining that different sites had different contamination pathways
    • Made clear that direct comparison may not be appropriate

  • Attribution language clarified:

    • “unattributed” → “source not identified” (plainer English)
    • Consistent use of “open question” for genuinely unresolved issues

18 February 2026 (Afternoon)

  • Reframed entire site as Hillhouse estate-centric rather than AGC-centric
  • Added explicit attribution for data from operator regulatory submissions (e.g., “According to AGC Chemicals Europe’s Environment Agency permit…”)
  • Distinguished between: contamination attributed to specific operators via their own disclosures, contamination detected but source unattributed, and gaps where no investigation has occurred
  • Added historical context section to About page acknowledging multiple operators (ICI 1950s-1999, AGC 1999-present) and shared estate infrastructure
  • Noted that PFOS in eggs is an open question — AGC states they never used PFOS; source unattributed
  • Added attribution methodology section to Sources page
  • Updated all references from “AGC site” to “Hillhouse industrial estate” where appropriate
  • Preserved all factual data, sources, and HTML structure

18 February 2026

  • Complete site rewrite: all content revised to factual, research-based tone
  • Removed editorial language, rhetorical framing, and advocacy messaging
  • All claims now sourced or marked for citation
  • Restructured action page as information/resources page
  • Fresh start for site content