Despite the fact that poisonous substances exceeding the standard were detected at a steelworks of Nippon Steel Corporation in Chiba Prefecture, it was not reported to the prefecture. We confirmed the status of the equipment where the water leaked.
This problem is "Nippon Steel East Japan Works Kimitsu District", and in the four years until last year, cyanide, a poisonous substance exceeding the standard, was often detected from the drainage outlet facing Tokyo Bay, but it was not reported to the prefecture. It's a thing.
In order to confirm whether the report on the cause of the accident and the countermeasures submitted by the company is appropriate, the prefecture set up an expert meeting in January this year, gathering experts who are familiar with chemical substances and compliance. held its third meeting.
On the 8th, after questions from the members were answered by representatives from Nippon Steel Corporation and the prefecture, we entered the steelworks by bus and inspected the site for the first time.
The state of the investigation is not open to the public, but it is said that they confirmed the water treatment facilities where the water containing cyanide was said to have overflowed, and asked about the measures taken by the company.
After the inspection, Professor Emeritus Katsuya Kawamoto of Okayama University, who chaired the panel of experts, said, "I think it was very meaningful to be able to confirm the facts of what happened by looking at the actual equipment, not just on paper. I would like to use it as a reference for deliberations in the committee."