Fingal County Council tells Dublin Airport operator to hand over test results on cancer-causing chemicals

The DAA has said only 'very low levels' of PFAS had been found at Dublin Airport

John Burns

Today at 03:30

Fingal County Council has issued a formal demand to the operator of Dublin Airport for the results of all tests it has done on long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS.

It is the latest source of friction between the council and the DAA, which are already at odds over limits on night-time flights, and whether the cap of 32 million passengers a year has been breached.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are toxic chemicals, some of which have been linked to an elevated risk of cancer.

A major source is firefighting foams. Although none of the foams used at Dublin Airport since 2013 have contained PFAS, there is concern about historical contamination in the ground.

Kenny Jacobs, the chief executive of the DAA, told an Oireachtas committee last year that only “very low levels” had been found at the airport. “It is important everybody remembers PFAS are in soil in lots of different places,” he added.

Where PFAS were found it soil at any level, it would be removed, he said. The DAA has previously sought planning permission to remove 80,000 tonnes of soil to Norway for remediation.

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Mr Jacobs insisted that no PFAS had been found in any water sources at the airport, but Fingal Council has been seeking further information.

A spokesman said: “Fingal County Council has received two reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relating to Dublin Airport in respect of PFAS chemicals. A section 23 notice under the Local Government Water Pollution Act has been issued to DAA requiring all test results for PFAS to be submitted to the council, with the exception of the two reports already received from the EPA. Until we receive and analyse all test results, we are unable to comment further.”

A spokesman for the airport authority said: “DAA will respond to Fingal County Council on this ahead of their deadline.”

Applications have been made by a member of the public under freedom of information law for copies of the EPA reports. Fingal County Council has said it decided to release the reports, but this has been appealed by the DAA to the information commissioner.

Ian Carey, a Green Party councillor in north Dublin, said the authority should publish all the information it has.

“Why are they not being open with the public?” he asked.