Japan - Nose begins dioxin cleanup

[John Visher <visherjc@crisscross.com>]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/news6-99/news.html#story4

June 15, 1999

Nose begins dioxin cleanup

          OSAKA -- Work began Tuesday to remove dioxin-tainted water and
material from an incinerator blamed for the nation's worst case of
          dioxin contamination.

          The cleanup of the incineration facility at the Toyono Clean
Center in the town of Nose, Osaka Prefecture, is being done in
preparation
          for its scrapping. It will be the first such facility in the
country to be dismantled due to high levels of dioxin contamination.

          Work to remove contaminated material will get fully under way
around mid-July, according to officials overseeing the project. The
razing
          of the incinerator and its 40- meter chimney will begin in
November, and the operation is to conclude in March.

          Hitachi Zosen Corp., the company in charge of the cleanup
effort, has taken numerous precautions to protect workers from exposure
to
          contaminated substances.

          On Tuesday, workers set up two 6-meter-high purifiers next to
the facility to filter the air from inside the buildings. Workers on the
project
          will wear protective clothing and masks and breathe air from
outside the facility via hoses.

          The facility's windows are sealed with tape, and plastic
sheets are being used to prevent the spread of dioxin-laden dust and
ash.
          Measuring devices will be placed around the surrounding area
to determine dioxin levels in the dust and ash.

          It is estimated that more than 1,500 drums will be needed to
package the contaminated materials, which will be stored on the facility

          grounds. How the material will be processed has yet to be
determined.

          The incinerator began operating in 1988 but was closed in 1997
after it was found to be releasing levels of dioxin much higher than
          government safety levels. Soon after it ceased operation,
surrounding soil was found to contain up to 8,500 picograms of dioxin
per gram.

          Blood tests also showed former incinerator employees to have
elevated levels of dioxin. The most contaminated sample yielded the
          nation's highest level on record so far -- 800 picograms of
dioxin per kilogram of body weight. A picogram is one-trillionth of a
gram.