Dioxin TDI of Japan

Dioxin TDI of Japan will be set in 4-pg TEQ/kg/day as to be in the current Japanese articles. I am very regrettable. Japanese government might pass the bill by which dioxin TDI would be set in 4-pg TEQ/kg/day in the Diet of this year. 

A group of fourteen researchers in Japan has widely asked to the scientist and researchers in Japan to the signature concerning dioxin in this 2-3 months. To demand severe criteria of dioxin TDI, this group widely asks to the signature to the scientists and researchers in Japan regardless of the specialized field. A present target is to set dioxin TDI in less than 1pg TEQ/kg/day. 

About 200 signatures were collected from the scientists and researchers of the academic organizations, the public organizations, and the corporate etc. This group submitted the collected signatures to the combination conference with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Environment Agency, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Construction last Thursday (June 17). 

However, they did not accept our demand. And the next day, the officials of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Environment Agency announced the report that set dioxin TDI of 4pg TEQ/kg/day. 

We will never give up and continue to collect more signatures of the scientists and researchers in the future. And, we will demand of Japanese authorities more strongly. 

I think the most essential issue is dioxin volume that is produced by industrial countries. On June 25, Environment Agency has announced the report that the dioxin emission volume in Japan was estimated at approximately 2,900-g TEQ/year in 1998. According to this report, Japanese dioxin emission volume is highest in industrial countries. 

What is more, UNEP has estimated the dioxin emission volume in Japan in 1995 at approximately 3,981-g TEQ/year in a recent report. 

Please refer to the following UNEP estimated data

The UNEP announced the report, which estimated the dioxin emission volume roughly based on the investigation reports and the research papers that had been published in approximately 1995. 

I think that the industrial countries include Japan should make more effort toward the dioxin zero emission. 

June 26, 1999

Author: Kenichi Azuma

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