Silent Pollution - The Depths of the Nagoya PCB Illegal Storage Problem (2001)

Silent Pollution - The Depths of the Nagoya PCB Illegal Storage Problem (2001)

The problem of unnotified long-term storage of condensers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which was uncovered in 2001 at a former factory site in Nagoya, was typical of the "silent environmental crime" that emerged at the intersection of postwar Japan's rapid economic growth and a vacuum in environmental administration.

PCBs had been widely used in transformers and condensers since the 1950s because of their high insulating and heat-resistance properties, but their production and use were banned in Japan in 1974 because they are extremely toxic and difficult to decompose. However, the management of equipment and waste already manufactured was left to the business operators, and for a long time the nation did not develop an integrated treatment system.

One of the problems in Nagoya was that hundreds of waste PCB condensers had been left unattended at the site of a small- to medium-sized factory that had gone out of business, without notification. Many of the drums had deteriorated and were on the verge of leaking due to corrosion. Surrounded by residential areas and an elementary school, residents complained one after another of an "oil smell. The city authorities immediately announced the health risk to the surrounding area and the threat of environmental pollution, and initiated a containment and recovery plan by a specialized contractor as an emergency measure.

At the time, the "Law Concerning Special Measures against PCBs" enacted in 2000 was about to come into effect, but "unregistered and incomplete storage" by old businesses existed in many parts of the country and there was no progress in even ascertaining the actual situation. The Nagoya case was one of the first major incidents in which such "latent PCB contamination" came to light, and the Ministry of the Environment, in light of the gravity of the situation, ordered a reinforced investigation and a nationwide recheck of the storage situation.

The root of the problem was a combination of (1) delays in the legal system, (2) lack of information and resources for local SMEs, and (3) inadequate monitoring and penalty systems. Legal and moral issues also emerged regarding who would take over the "negative legacy" left behind by companies that had gone out of business with no one in charge. A debate arose among the local government, the national government, and local residents over who should be held responsible.

This incident highlighted the limitations of hazardous waste management in Japan and how a lack of corporate ethics can put the lives of local residents at risk. It was also a "timeless warning" that environmental crimes of the past still linger today and threaten the safety of future generations. Society has finally begun to pay attention to the existence of pollution that does not speak silently.