Concerning the organic fluorine compound PFOS, which has been pointed out to be harmful, a blood test for residents in the Tama area of Tokyo conducted by experts together with citizens' groups showed that the number of blood tests was more than three times higher than that of a survey conducted by the national government. The result that PFOS etc. in the blood concentration was detected was announced.
Regarding "PFAS", which is a chemical substance including "PFOS", the government plans to compile a direction for countermeasures and how information should be disseminated.
PFAS detected one after another around U.S. military bases and various places in Tokyo
It is said that there are more than 4,700 types of "PFAS", and "PFOS" and "PFOA" (Pefor), which are organic fluorine compounds that have been pointed out to be harmful, are found in rivers and rivers around US military bases such as Okinawa Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture. Levels exceeding the national government's provisional target values have been detected one after another in groundwater, etc. Values exceeding the provisional target values have also been detected in well water and groundwater throughout Tokyo.
However, the toxicity of PFAS as a whole has not yet been elucidated.
Detecting PFOS, etc. in a blood test More than three times the national survey
Associate Professor Koji Harada of Kyoto University and others are conducting blood tests on residents of the Tama area, where the U.S. Army Yokota Air Base is located, in collaboration with a citizen's group. The results of 87 people were announced on the 30th.
As a result, blood concentrations of "PFOS" and "PFOA" that were more than three times the average values of the survey conducted by the government at three locations nationwide in 2021 were detected.
Associate Professor Harada pointed out, ``Although there is no immediate impact on health, the national and local governments should take appropriate measures, including investigating future impacts, identifying pollution sources, and verifying the effectiveness of countermeasures.''
The civic group hopes to continue blood tests until the end of March and eventually analyze the survey results of about 600 people.
The Ministry of the Environment considers countermeasures and disseminates information
Regarding "PFOS", etc., the United States has issued strict guidelines that even a small amount is not detected in drinking water, while Japan has only provisional target values. We held the first meeting of experts to grasp the situation and promote comprehensive countermeasures.
At the meeting, international trends were reported, such as the WHO (World Health Organization) proposing a new method to measure the amount of PFAS contained in drinking water.
At the conference, it is our policy to compile the direction of countermeasures based on scientific evidence and how to disseminate information on them.