Environment
News in Japan.
Subject:
DIOXIN concentration in the vegetables grown in Tokorozawa City
Japan
Date:February
1,1999.
News release from News Station program report of TV Asahi
February 1,1999.
This news reported that the high level Dioxin concentration was
detected from the vegetables grown in Tokorozawa City Saitama
Prefecture Japan.
< The comparison of Dioxin concentration. >
1. The Japanese whole country level value.
(The investigation result of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.)
From 0, 0.43pico-g/g vegetables.
2. Tokorozawa City Saitama Prefecture Japan.
(The investigation result of Environmenral Research Institute
Inc.)
From 0.64, 3.8pico-g/g vegetables.
3. TDI(tolerable daily intake) of Dioxin which WHO shows.
From 1, 4pico-g/kg a body weight of 1kg.
This result shows that it reaches TDI when the child of a body
weight of 40kg takes the vegetables at roughly from 10, 40g.
Vegetables are grown even at present in Tokorozawa City. And,
inhabitants in Tokorozawa City take these vegetables.
This Dioxin occurrence source is the burning ashes radiated from
the municipal waste combusted facility of Tokorozawa City.
Inhabitants in Tokorozawa City are protesting against Tokorozawa
City administration since Dioxin pollution that it was disclosed
four years ago. But there is no schedule of doing a remedial
action in Tokorozawa City administration.
Subject:
The article of the ASAHI newspaper dated January 19 is introduced.
Date:January 19,1999
The article of the ASAHI newspaper dated January 19 is
introduced.
It is extraction from the article.
Title:[Organic chlorine compounds pollute subterranean water.]
(The factory of Sharp Corp. such as Nara.)
It was found out that organic chlorine compounds of the
carcinogenic property were detected in the subterranean water of
four factories of Sharp Corp. of the big enterprises electric
manufacturer which have three factory in Nara Prefecture (such as
Yamatokooriyama City) and one factory in Yao City,Osaka
Prefecture. Nara Prefecture and Sharp Corp. announced it.
The amount of detection was the maximum of 7000 times of the
environmental standards value. To be the same again,Organic
chlorine compounds of the high concentration were detected in the
subterranean water of the factory of Matsushita electric
appliances group in Osaka Prefecture Takatsuki City and Nara
Prefecture Yamatokooriyama City ,and the factory of Toshiba Corp.
group in Nagoya City. A well was dug to observe subterranean
water in each factory from last July.
Then, the well's subterranean water was examined As a
result,di-chloromethane of 140 mmg which was equivalent to 7000
times of the standard value in Nara factory in Yamatokooriyama
City was detected. In Yao factory, tri-chloroethylene of 93 mmg
which was equivalent to 3100 times of the standard value was
detected.
In Tenri factory,tri-chloroethylene of 0.24mmg which was
equivalent to 8 times of the standard value was detected.
In Shinjo factory,tri-chloroethylene of 0.045mmg which was
equivalent to 8 times of the standard value was detected. It is
the above. These are the actual circumstances of the factory of
the Japanese big enterprises electric manufacturer. How do you
like them in everyone's country?
Subject:
The endocrine disrupter of the high concentration
The article of Asahi Newspaper in February 8, 1999.
Title: The National Institute for Resources and Environment
(NIRE) Report.
The National Institute for Resources and Environment (NIRE)
reported that the endocrine disrupter of the high concentration
was detected in the deep seawater in the Japan Sea. Detected
endocrine disrupter is 4-nonylphenol.
The NIRE reported a research result that the endocrine disrupters
may be high concentration in the deep seawater even if it is
hardly detected by the surface seawater. The NIRE said that we
would have to examine not only the surface seawater but also the
deep seawater so that we might grasp the endocrine disrupters'
pollution of the earth scale. 4-nonylphenol was detected 2
pico-g/l seawater in the depth of seawater 100m. But it was
detected 145 pico-g/l seawater in the depth of seawater 1000m.
And, the ratio is about 70 times.
The NIRE said that in the case of the Japan Sea, the surface
seawater which contains pollutants was cooled in winter, and it
had became heavy. Therefore,it would have the possibility that it
went down in the deep sea.
Subject: Relationship between the vegetable
kind and Dioxin concentration.
Date: February 20, 1999.
Japanese Environmental Research Institute Inc reported the following contents about relationship between the vegetable kind and Dioxin concentration.
There was more leaf vegetable
more than the root vegetables in Dioxin concentration. Why was
Dioxin detected in the leaf vegetables?
Japanese
Environmental Research Institute Inc set forth the following hypothesis. Dioxin which
stuck to the vegetable leaf gets into the inside of a plant
fibrous tissue to pass the vegetable pore due to carbon dioxide
assimilation.
Subject: The study report in Japanese NIMC
about Dioxin etc.
Date: February 20,1999.
I introduced the study report in
1997 about Dioxins in Japanese National Institute of Materials
and Chemical Research (NIMC).
These reports are only a summary. But, these reports are shown in
English. Please ask NIMC your question with website of NIMC, If
you want to understand details about these reports.
Subject: Decomposition of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and
Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans with Supercritical Water.
http://www.nimc.go.jp/publication/annual97/16/16_9.html
Subject: Decomposition of Dioxins and PCBs with Supercritical
Water.
http://www.nimc.go.jp/publication/annual97/16/16_23.html
Website of National Institute of Materials and Chemical Research
(NIMC)
http://www.nimc.go.jp/
Additional information.
Subject: Environmental Impact of Hazardous Inorganic Materials
Pollution and Remediation of Soils.
http://www.nimc.go.jp/publication/journal98/6-1-1.html
The
birthrate of the baby boy decreased in Minamata City in Japan.
March 1, 1999
The birthrate of the baby boy in Minamata City in Japan was
unusually low from 1955 to 1959 when Minamata Disease patient
occurred frequently. It showed by the investigation of Sakamoto
manager who belongs in Department of Epidemiology in National
Institute for Minamata Disease.
Generally, the baby boys are more birth about 6% than the baby
girl, but the baby boys were less birthing about 3.2% than the
baby girl in Minamata City in this period. And, the number of the
baby boys was 45% of the rates in comparison with the number of
the baby girls in the family which father was a fisherman. (23
baby boys and 42 baby girls)
Therefore, this shows that eating many polluted fish had much
influence on the birthrate. The number of the men of the
stillbirth was 1.5 times in comparison with it of the woman in
this period. Sakamoto manager says. "This suggests that
organic mercury selects the man whose resistance to organic
mercury is poor, before the man born."
It is generally considering that the baby boys are more resistant
to the toxic compounds and the environmental pollution compounds
than the baby girls. But, this shows that methylmercury, which
was the cause of Minamata Disease had a serious influence on the
public health, and it could change our birthratio.
The website of agency studying about Minamata Disease is the
following.
http://www.nimd.go.jp/engtop.htm
Expultion
of the lead (Pb) from soldering
March 5, 1999
Matsushita Electronic Industrial Company (National / Panasonic)
announced officially that they have developed the new soldering
technology, which can change the components of solder to copper
(Cu) from lead (Pb). The soldering technology is used for the
main substrate in Video and DVD player, and AV components in
Matsushita's products. They will put the new technology into
practical use in 2000.
It could have on the risk of vomit and diarrhea, when public
health is exposed to the more lead (Pb).
Matsushita Electronic Industrial Company (National / Panasonic)
will adopt this new technology in Matsushita's global company in
several years as well.
At present, the main components of the solder are tin (Sn) and
lead (Pb).
The technology that changed to silver (Ag) from lead (Pb) had
already been put to practical use in another part. But they have
developed the new soldering technology, which could change the
components of solder to copper (Cu) the more lowly cost than
silver (Ag).
The new technology will completely expel the lead (Pb) from the
solder being used with Matsushita's products.
Source: Asahi newspaper. March 6, 1999
ALL Rights Reserved , Copyright(c) 1999 , Kenichi Azuma.