Progress of PCB Waste Elimination Plan in Japan
In the 2020s, about 13,000 tons of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste remains untreated in Japan, mainly used as insulators and coolants for transformers and capacitors by electric power companies such as Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) from the 1960s through the 1970s. PCBs take more than 100 years to decompose naturally, so their disposal is an urgent issue. The Japanese government plans to eliminate all PCBs by 2027, and the Japan Environmental Safety Corporation (JESCO) of Kitakyushu City is playing a central role in this effort to detoxify PCBs through high-temperature incineration at approximately 1,200°C. However, the risk of dioxin generation and differences in treatment progress by region remain an issue.
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