Illegal dumping of industrial waste on Teshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Seto Inland Sea - November 1994
In 1994, more than 500,000 tons of industrial waste was found to be illegally dumped on Teshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, in the Seto Inland Sea. The illegal dumping consisted mainly of construction waste and automobile shredder dust, which was left in large quantities on the island. The shredder dust contained lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and other toxic substances, and investigations by the Environment Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed that these substances were contaminating groundwater and soil. As a result, the possibility of serious impact on the ecosystem of the Seto Inland Sea was pointed out, and Kagawa Prefecture has begun waste removal and soil remediation. Approximately 70 billion yen was invested in the removal work through 2020 to restore the environment. This incident became a symbolic case of environmental crime in Japan and had a major impact on subsequent strengthening of industrial waste management laws and environmental protect
ion policies.
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