Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting man-made chemical substances, a few of which have been linked to an elevated threat of most cancers. They had been utilized in many industries, together with aerospace, from the Fifties onwards.
The principle supply at airports was in a selected kind of fire-fighting foam, which has not been used at Dublin Airport since 2013.
Web site investigations carried out on the airport in 2016 found PFAS within the soil on the former firefighting coaching floor. Fehily Timoney had been appointed 5 years later to do a extra detailed evaluation.
Their just-published report confirms that various concentrations of the ‘endlessly chemical substances’ had been present in floor water, floor water, soil and concrete at Dublin Airport, with the very best groundwater ranges near areas the place the firefighting foam was used.
At the moment’s Information in 90 Seconds – April tenth
Individually, waste disposal at close by Castlemoate Home is regarded as the reason for PFAS discovered there.
Primarily based on the findings, Fehily Timoney have really helpful that additional investigations be carried out to quantify the chance from PFAS current within the floor and water.
In an announcement, the DAA mentioned its subsequent steps will embrace continued campus monitoring, which will probably be expanded to incorporate a wider vary of off-site places to be able to develop an exterior threat profile for each floor and floor water.
It has additionally undertaken to check soil for PFAS throughout any new onsite tasks. A spread of acceptable administration and remedial measures will probably be developed to cope with the ‘endlessly chemical substances’ when they’re discovered.
The DAA additionally confirmed that, when getting ready to construct a brand new apron final yr, it discovered proof of PFAS in excavated soil. “The presence of PFAS at any degree prevented materials being reused on web site, and the quantity of soil – over 150,000 tonnes – meant that it couldn’t be accepted at any appropriately licenced water facility in Eire,” it mentioned.
“As such, DAA organized to have the soil eliminated and handled in abroad services, at important value.”
It added: “As one of many first organisations in Eire actively working to handle PFAS, DAA hopes that the great information being made public in the present day enhances the understanding of the potential scale of this situation throughout Eire on websites the place PFAS-firefighting foam has been used traditionally, and what may be finished to handle it.”
The Fehily Timoney report discovered that the very best degree of PFAS in a watercourse on the airport was 50.6 nanograms per litre in a pattern taken from the Cuckoo Stream. The very best degree from a manhole pattern was 1,430 ng/l at a spot near the previous firefighting coaching floor.
The very best ranges in soil had been as much as 568 micrograms per kilo in samples collected from the place DAA is constructing its new apron.
