PFAS Pollution in Settsu, Osaka - as of 2024

PFAS Pollution in Settsu, Osaka - as of 2024

In Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, a total of 21,000 ng/L of PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) was detected in groundwater, 420 times the provisional target of 50 ng/L set by the Ministry of the Environment, and is considered the most serious case of PFAS contamination in Japan. This high level of contamination has raised concerns about health risks to residents, such as cancer and endocrine abnormalities, as well as the impact on agricultural water and the food chain. The cause of the contamination is likely to be the infiltration of PFAS used in factories and manufacturing industries in the Settsu area into the groundwater, but it is difficult to pinpoint the cause; PFAS is not easily decomposed and is difficult to purify, so the Ministry of the Environment and local governments are investigating the source of contamination and implementing cleanup measures. PFAS contamination has also been reported in the Tama area of Tokyo and Ginowan Ci
ty, Okinawa Prefecture, making it a nationwide issue.