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What is dioxin? Dioxin is a highly toxic industrial by-product of industrial processes involving chlorine. Sources of dioxin include paper and pulp mills, hazardous waste incineration, sludge from waste facilities, cement kilns that burn chemical waste, and the manufacturing of PVC plastics and some pesticides. The human health effects from exposure to dioxin include cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities, endometriosis, infertility, suppressed immune functions and reduced IQs and hyperactive behavior in children. |
Toxic substances including high concentrations of dioxin exceeding environmental standards by 1,700 times have been detected in underground water at a site scheduled for the reconstruction of a garbage incinerator in Osaka's Higashiyodogawa Ward, city officials said Wednesday.
It is the highest concentration of dioxin detected in underground water in Japan, according to the officials.
The city also detected harmful substances in the soil in the area, including tetrachloroethylene exceeding standards by 1,800 times and dioxin at 86 times the standard.
The pollution poses no health risks because the ground water is not used directly as drinking water and the ground is mostly covered by asphalt, city officials said.
As an emergency response to prevent the spread of pollution, the city plans to build an impervious wall to stop the flow of the underground water. Officials said they are also considering replacing some 5,000 cubic meters of soil as a more drastic measure.
The site used to be a refinery for waste oil until it was destroyed by a large-scale fire in 1983. The city government bought the area in 1990 and plans to build a new garbage incinerator there in fiscal 2006.
City officials believe there is a high possibility the 1983 fire caused the pollution.
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