More than 240 river and groundwater monitoring sites in Japan have exceeded the standard for organic fluorine compounds

The latest national water quality test results released by Japan's Ministry of the Environment show that 242 river and groundwater testing points exceeded the standard for organic fluorine compounds (PFAS), with the highest one being 520 times the national standard.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the test results released by Japan's Ministry of the Environment on Friday (April 25) were based on the determination of organic fluorine compounds at 2,078 river and groundwater testing sites. The results show that the organic fluorine compounds exceeded the standard at 56 detection points in rivers and 186 detection points in groundwater. The highest value occurred in a groundwater in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, with a total of 26,000 nanograms of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) per liter of water, which is 520 times the limit set by the Japanese national standard.

PFAS is a general term for various organic fluorine compounds such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, and is widely used in a variety of industrial products. PFAS is not easily decomposed, and some substances within it have been proven to accumulate in the environment and the human body, leading to health problems.

Previously, Japan has repeatedly detected excessive levels of PFAS in water bodies near US military bases and Self-Defense Forces facilities. However, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment did not disclose the details of the testing sites this time.