Soil tests conducted at the former Sde Dov airport site in northern Tel Aviv have identified the presence of PFAS compounds, toxic chemicals linked to firefighting foam used at the site over many years, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Israel Land Authority said Wednesday.
According to the two authorities, the findings emerged from preliminary soil investigations recently carried out at the former airport grounds. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected in the soil as a result of prolonged use of firefighting foams during the decades when the site operated as a military and civilian airfield.
Following the findings, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Israel Land Authority said they are working to manage the risk professionally, including expanding soil investigations and examining the potential impact of the contamination on the nearby shoreline and sea. The stated goal is to protect public health and the environment.
The Sde Dov site, which served for decades as a civilian and military airport, underwent soil investigation and remediation between 2020 and 2023. That process was approved by the Environmental Protection Ministry and conducted in accordance with professional standards in effect at the time.
The ministry noted that during those years, there was no binding policy requiring the examination or treatment of PFAS contaminants in soil. As a result, PFAS compounds were neither tested for nor addressed as part of the remediation project carried out at the former airport.
Following guidance from the Water Authority, groundwater investigations were conducted at the site between 2022 and 2025. The findings showed PFAS concentrations exceeding threshold values for drinking water. In a joint statement, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Israel Land Authority said the groundwater contamination does not pose a risk to water sources currently used for drinking water production.
However, they stressed that the contamination does constitute an environmental risk, given that the site is designated for residential construction. The authorities also warned that during development work, contaminated soil could be removed from the site and transported to unauthorized destinations, potentially endangering water sources. Additional concerns were raised regarding the site’s proximity to the coastline and the potential impact on the coastal and marine environment.
In response to the findings, the Environmental Protection Ministry said it has initiated immediate steps to assess the scope of the contamination and associated risks. These include sampling soil down to planned construction depths to map the distribution of pollutants across different soil layers, sampling sand along the adjacent beach and conducting a rapid study to establish risk-based threshold values for remediating soil contaminated with PFAS.
Avi Haim, acting senior deputy director general for licensing and risk prevention at the Environmental Protection Ministry, said the ministry is acting immediately to manage the risks through expanded contamination investigations, professional guidance and enhanced monitoring at the site and along the coastline.
“The Environmental Protection Ministry will continue to act in cooperation with the Israel Land Authority and all relevant bodies, while safeguarding public health and the environment,” Haim said.
Tali Morali, director of the Tel Aviv district at the Israel Land Authority, said the authority will act responsibly and in close coordination with all relevant agencies, led by the Environmental Protection Ministry.
“The Israel Land Authority is committed to transparency toward the public and the developers who won tenders at the site, and will provide updates as developments unfold and findings emerge,” Morali said. She added that the authority views advancement of development in the Sde Dov district and the addition of thousands of housing units in central Tel Aviv as a matter of national importance.
“This will be done while maintaining a full balance between development needs, environmental protection and safeguarding public health,” she said.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit was not involved in the announcement, and no response from other authorities was provided by publication time.