PFAS Levels Top Standard in 87 Pct of Those Tested in Japan Town
Kibichuo, Okayama Pref., Jan. 28 (Jiji Press)--PFAS concentrations in blood samples from 87.4 pct of those tested in a town in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, exceeded a U.S. standard for the potentially carcinogenic chemicals, it was learned Tuesday.
The Kibichuo town government announced the results of its first blood tests conducted at public expense last year, after PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected at a water purification plant in the town.
"Honestly speaking, it is higher than I expected," Mayor Masanori Yamamoto said at a press conference Tuesday, calling on the national government to set guidelines regarding the so-called forever chemicals. The Japanese government currently does not have standards on PFAS concentrations in blood.
The 87.4 pct showed levels of seven PFAS substances, including PFOS and PFOA, totaling 20 nanograms or more per milliliter of blood. A U.S. academic institution has said that health risks increase when concentrations top the threshold.
A total of 709 people, aged 2 to 102, took blood tests between November and December last year in the town of roughly 10,000 inhabitants. The highest recorded level of PFOA stood at 718.8 nanograms per milliliter of blood, while the average amounts of the seven PFAS substances totaled 151.5 nanograms, both significantly higher than the U.S. health standard.
(2025/01/28-19:16)
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