A Toxic Legacy Buried Underground
For decades, airports across Canada ran firefighter training exercises that relied on a foam laced with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — better known as PFAS, or colloquially, "forever chemicals." The name says it all: these synthetic compounds don't degrade naturally. They accumulate in soil, seep into groundwater, and linger in the human body.
Now, families living near the Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., airport are confronting that legacy head-on — and many say they're scared about what it means for their children and grandchildren.
What Are PFAS and Why Do They Matter?
PFAS are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been used in everything from non-stick cookware to waterproof clothing to the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) historically used in airport fire suppression. Their molecular structure — essentially a chain of carbon-fluorine bonds — makes them extraordinarily resistant to breaking down.
Studies have linked long-term PFAS exposure to a range of serious health concerns, including certain cancers, immune system disruption, thyroid disease, and developmental issues in children. The Canadian federal government has acknowledged PFAS as a priority concern under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
Sault Ste. Marie at the Centre
The community near Sault Ste. Marie's airport has emerged as one of the more visible flashpoints in Canada's growing reckoning with airport-related PFAS contamination. Residents there have been vocal about their fears — not just for themselves, but for younger generations who will inherit whatever contamination remains in the soil and water.
The anxiety is understandable. PFAS contamination plumes can travel significant distances through groundwater, making it difficult to contain once it has entered the environment. And because symptoms of exposure can take years or decades to manifest, the full public health picture often only becomes clear long after the damage is done.
A National Issue, Not Just a Northern One
Sault Ste. Marie is far from alone. Airports across the country — from military bases to regional civilian hubs — used AFFF foam in training drills for decades before the risks were fully understood. That means the contamination risk is geographically widespread.
Civil aviation authorities and the federal government have been under increasing pressure to map the scope of PFAS contamination at Canadian airports, fund remediation efforts, and provide affected communities with clear information about their exposure risk.
For now, many families living downwind and downstream of these sites are left doing what communities in similar situations have always done: organizing, advocating, and waiting for answers that are slow in coming.
What Comes Next
Clean-up for PFAS contamination is technically challenging and expensive. Unlike some contaminants, there is no simple fix — remediation often involves pumping and treating groundwater over many years, or excavating and disposing of contaminated soil.
For the residents of Sault Ste. Marie, the fight is deeply personal. They're not just asking for cleaner soil — they're asking for assurances that the place they've called home won't become a burden they unknowingly pass on to their kids.
That's a question that communities near airports from coast to coast are starting to ask more loudly — and one Canada's government will need to answer with more than promises.
Source: CBC News (Sudbury). Original reporting by CBC's Northern Ontario bureau.
