ENDS Report says the full story of how a small market town in Yorkshire was revealed to be polluted with the highest levels of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ recorded in the UK was published yesterday, in a new two-part investigative podcast.
PFAS - also known as ‘forever chemicals’ - are a group of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and a huge range of other human health and environmental impacts. In the US, companies have already paid out billions of pounds in settlements in PFAS-related lawsuits.
Last year, ENDS Report says it co-ran an investigation with the Guardian exposing how staggeringly high levels of known and suspected carcinogenic ‘forever chemicals’ have been recorded in the small market town of Bentham - leaving it the most PFAS-polluted place in the UK.
The town is also home to Angus Fire, a fire fighting foam producer and the main employer in town, which sits at the heart of this pollution, added ENDS Report.
In this new podcast special, God’s Own Dark Waters: Exposing a chemical scandal, ENDS Report says its journalists return to Bentham and tell the tale - with new details and exclusive interviews - to explore what happened after the story came to light for the residents living in the factory’s shadow.
The podcast is launched ahead of the release of the Netflix drama Toxic Town, which tells the story of a toxic waste scandal in Corby, and the group of women who took their local council to court, the publisher continued.
ENDS Report deputy editor, and series producer on God’s Own Dark Waters, Tess Colley, said: “ENDS Report’s God’s Own Dark Waters investigation, which has exposed how a small town in North Yorkshire is polluted with sky-high levels of toxic chemicals, has had a jaw-dropping impact: two law firms have begun potential legal action following the exposé, and MPs are calling for compensation.
“Toxic PFAS chemicals are everywhere, but the UK is only now beginning to wake up to the problem they pose to the environment and human health, in no small part down to the kind of investigative journalism showcased in God’s Own Dark Waters. While Netflix’s upcoming show Toxic Town will bring to life a historic environmental scandal - audiences can now listen to the tale of one happening right now. Will the residents of Bentham one day get their Netflix drama? Hear their story here first.”
The podcast is hosted by ENDS Report’s regular podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons, and Pippa Neill, ENDS Report’s investigative journalist, who the publisher says first broke the story.
It is available on all major podcast streaming platforms on ENDS Report’s ECO Chamber feed.
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