Update on investigation: Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone - Thornton-Cleveleys

The assessment was undertaken by a dedicated Health Cell, bringing together experts from Lancashire County Council, UK Health Security Agency, NHS partners, the National Disease Registration Service, Wyre Borough Council and the Environment Agency. 

It was commissioned in response to concerns raised locally and follows ongoing environmental investigations into land around the former ICI chemical facility.  

The review analysed national Kidney cancer registration data alongside local public health intelligence and environmental information. While an initial screening identified a higher than expected number of kidney cancer cases in two small local areas, further detailed assessment found no evidence of a disease cluster.  

The analysis showed that cases were geographically dispersed, with no consistent patterns over time or location, and no evidence of increased risk linked to proximity to the site. 

It also found no alignment between cancer cases and environmental data such as soil contamination or air dispersion patterns, and no similarities in tumour types that would suggest a common cause. Environmental information was used for contextual comparison only and not to assess individual exposure or causation. 

Overall, the findings indicate that the variation in cases is consistent with what would be expected by chance when analysing rare conditions in small populations.  

In line with national guidance, the Health Cell has concluded that there is no evidence of a kidney cancer cluster and no indication of a link to environmental contamination, and that no further investigation is required at this stage.   

The Environment Agency and Wyre Borough Council will continue their separate regulatory work to assess land conditions in the area under environmental legislation. 

The report can be viewed here www.wyre.gov.uk/environmental-health-community-safety/hillhouse-international-enterprise-zone-thornton-cleveleys 

Issued on behalf of Multi-Agency Heath Cell supporting investigation: Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone - Thornton-Cleveleys

Notes to Editors 

The screening stage focused on the period 2003-2022 across a wide area.  

This screening did not identify higher than expected rates for most cancers. However, kidney cancer incidence was observed to be higher than expected in two areas, one south east of the site in Thornton and one situated in the north of Blackpool.  

This type of variation is not unusual when analysing rare conditions in small populations, and further analysis confirmed it was consistent with chance rather than a true cluster.