Eco Chamber

God’s Own Dark Waters - Exposing a chemical scandal: Part 1

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Episode notes

A toxic scandal runs through a small town in North Yorkshire - if you pull the thread, where will it lead? ENDS Report investigates.


For more than a year, award winning ENDS Report journalist Pippa Neill has been unearthing the toxic truth of how a small Yorkshire market town and its residents found themselves at the centre of a chemical scandal. 


In the first episode of this two-part podcast special, she joins the ECO Chamber podcast’s regular presenter James Agyepong-Parsons to tell the full story of how Bentham’s PFAS pollution problem came to light – and what happened next. 


Last year, Pippa’s groundbreaking investigation exposed how the market town of Bentham in North Yorkshire is the most known PFAS-polluted place in the UK. The main employer in the town – a firefighting foam producer called Angus Fire – sits at the heart of the pollution. 


Listen now to hear from:


  • A fire brigade whistleblower who says that concerns about PFAS firefighting foams were shut down by senior management, and discusses their fears about why so many of their colleagues have died of cancer.
  • Bentham residents who say they feel ‘trapped’ after finding out communal gardens nearby the factory are contaminated with PFAS.
  • Lawyers at the law firms Leigh Day and Mischon de Reya, who are acting on behalf of residents in Bentham to explore potential legal action against Angus Fire.
  • The Fire Brigades Union, which discusses how it is carrying out blood testing of union members to test for PFAS. 


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God’s Own Dark Waters: Exposing a chemical scandal is an ENDS Report production


Series Producer-- Jamie Carpenter 

Series Producer -- Tess Colley

Producer, Presenter and Researcher -- Pippa Neill

Producer, Presenter and Editor - James Agyepong-Parsons

Artwork -- David Robinson

Studio engineer -- Til Owen


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