‘Forever chemicals’ found in soil and water at Dublin Airport

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting man-made chemicals, some of which have been linked to an elevated risk of cancer. They were used in many industries, including aerospace, from the 1950s onwards.

The main source at airports was in a particular type of fire-fighting foam, which has not been used at Dublin Airport since 2013.

Site investigations carried out at the airport in 2016 discovered PFAS in the soil at the former firefighting training ground. Fehily Timoney were appointed five years later to do a more detailed analysis.

Their just-published report confirms that varying concentrations of the ‘forever chemicals’ were found in ground water, surface water, soil and concrete at Dublin Airport, with the highest groundwater levels close to areas where the firefighting foam was used.

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Separately, waste disposal at nearby Castlemoate House is thought to be the explanation for PFAS found there.

Based on the findings, Fehily Timoney have recommended that further investigations be carried out to quantify the risk from PFAS present in the ground and water.

In a statement, the DAA said its next steps will include continued campus monitoring, which will be expanded to include a wider range of off-site locations in order to develop an external risk profile for both ground and surface water.

It has also undertaken to test soil for PFAS during any new onsite projects. A range of appropriate management and remedial measures will be developed to deal with the ‘forever chemicals’ when they are found.

The DAA also confirmed that, when preparing to build a new apron last year, it found evidence of PFAS in excavated soil. “The presence of PFAS at any level prevented material being reused on site, and the volume of soil – over 150,000 tonnes – meant that it could not be accepted at any appropriately licenced water facility in Ireland,” it said.

“As such, DAA arranged to have the soil removed and treated in overseas facilities, at significant cost.”

It added: “As one of the first organisations in Ireland actively working to address PFAS, DAA hopes that the comprehensive data being made public today enhances the understanding of the potential scale of this issue across Ireland on sites where PFAS-firefighting foam has been used historically, and what might be done to address it.”

The Fehily Timoney report found that the highest level of PFAS in a watercourse at the airport was 50.6 nanograms per litre in a sample taken from the Cuckoo Stream. The highest level from a manhole sample was 1,430 ng/l at a spot close to the former firefighting training ground.

The highest levels in soil were up to 568 micrograms per kilo in samples collected from where DAA is building its new apron.