Aragorn partners Anna Kärrman and Nina Tuxen recently joined a larger group from Sweden and Denmark at Sundsvall-Timrå Airport, in northern Sweden, to discuss PFAS contamination in soil. The airport hosts one of the Swedish Geotechnical Institute’s (SGI) test sites for soil and groundwater remediation.
Why airports?
Airports are among the sites most affected by PFAS, because these substances were long used in firefighting foams. At Sundsvall-Timrå, years of regular fire drills with PFAS-containing foam have left the former fire training area heavily contaminated.
What the investigations found
As part of a government assignment to develop clean-up methods for PFAS in soil and groundwater, SGI carried out extensive investigations to map the contamination at the site, taking hundreds of groundwater samples. Its new report, published on 5 October 2026, draws a clear picture.
The pollution is concentrated near the surface: PFAS levels are highest in the upper layer of groundwater and drop the deeper you go. One of the substances found is a so-called precursor, which can later turn into other very persistent PFAS once in the environment. Levels in shallow groundwater also change over time, so a single sample can easily give a misleading picture of the situation.
These findings helped identify the best spot for a pilot test, in a small area next to the old training pad. The test will check whether activated carbon, a material that binds pollutants to its surface, placed below the water table can stop PFAS from spreading with groundwater
Want to know more about PFAS?
What are PFAS, why are they so hard to get rid of, and how do they end up in our soils? Aragorn’s factsheet explains the essentials in a few pages.
