"Pregnant Women Keep Miscarrying"... Japan 'Panic' Over Tap Water Contaminated with Carcinogens

"Among Developed Countries, Regulation Was the Slowest" Experts Also Criticize

As cases of damage caused by the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in tap water continue to emerge in Japan, authorities have launched a nationwide survey. PFAS are carcinogenic chemicals.

On the 26th (local time), local media including the Sankei Shimbun reported that the Japanese government sent documents last month requesting the departments in charge of the 47 prefectures and water service providers nationwide to assess the actual state of tap water contamination. The survey will be conducted until September, and the investigation will include the concentration of PFAS detected in tap water and information on water purification facilities.

According to the media, Japan has previously included provisions related to PFAS in water surveys. However, this is the first time a large-scale nationwide investigation is being conducted like this year.

Tap water. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

PFAS are artificially created organofluorine compounds. They are used in various manufacturing industries such as frying pan coatings and semiconductor processes. However, they do not decompose naturally and tend to accumulate in living organisms. They are also carcinogenic substances that cause various diseases, including cancer, when exposed to the human body.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in April ordered countries to establish strict standards and countermeasures for handling representative PFAS substances such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluoroalkyl substances (POFA).

In recent years, related damage has reportedly spread in Japan. In October last year, Yoshibi Chuo-machi village in Okayama Prefecture was a representative affected area, where PFAS was detected at 1,400 ng per liter (ℓ), about 28 times higher than the Japanese government's provisional target of 50 nanograms (ng) per liter.

After the problem was confirmed, the village stopped using tap water and has been fetching water from a nearby water supply station. However, it is reported that a significant number of residents have already been exposed to the contaminated tap water.

The PFAS concentration in blood that affects the human body is known to be 20 ng/ml. However, according to blood tests conducted by Japan's NHK on some local residents, all 27 people tested exceeded this level.

In particular, a woman in her 60s with a blood PFAS concentration of 362.9 ng/ml, reaching a dangerous level, has been diagnosed with dyslipidemia and receiving medication for four years. Dyslipidemia is classified as a disease related to PFAS. Additionally, it is reported that three out of five women in their 30s and 40s in the village have experienced miscarriages.

Experts in Japan criticize the Japanese government's delayed response to PFAS. Akio Koizumi, Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University, said, "Japan is the country with the slowest PFAS regulation among developed countries," and urged, "Since concentrations increase when water sources dry up, multiple surveys should be conducted to ensure the validity of the results, and health investigations of residents should be carried out based on the data."