Possible Contamination Detected in Water Bodies in Osaka, Japan
Japan's Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) reported that Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) have been detected in rivers and groundwater in the Kansai region in excess of the U.S. standard, and the city of Regent, Osaka Province, has conducted a blood test on the public, and the results found that 31 out of 87 people had a high concentration of PFAS in their blood, which is above the U.S. safety standard.
Tansa, a Japanese news and research website, reported that in response, the Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (Osaka Min-Iren) and other organizations will gather volunteers and commission the Kyoto University School of Medicine to conduct analyses, expanding blood tests to 1,000 people in the area, and that 30% of the tests have already been completed, and that the final results will be submitted to the central government for consideration of measures to be taken.
PFAS is a permanent chemical substance that has been widely used since the 1940s as a surface coating for industrial products such as frying pans, clothing, paper sheeting, food packaging materials, cookware, firefighting foams, etc., as well as semiconductors, etc. The high stability of PFAS has made it possible to achieve many of these uses in daily life, but it also does not readily decompose naturally, which may contaminate drinking water and soil in nearby environments and enter the ecological chain to contaminate animals and plants. In the process of producing PFAS, it may pollute drinking water and soil in the nearby environment, and enter the ecological chain to pollute animals and plants. In general, the metabolism time of PFAS in the environment and human body ranges from 3 to 9 years.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies have shown that human exposure to PFAS may lead to health problems including reduced fertility, delayed childhood development, decreased immune system, elevated cholesterol, and increased risk of cancer and obesity.
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