Japan Environment Agency website on Dioxin

[John Visher <visherjc@crisscross.com>]

http://www.eic.or.jp/eanet/e/jeq/v004-03.html#10
Japan Environment Quarterly -Vol.4 No.3 September 1999-
September, 1999
Second Report on Dioxin Emission Reductions

In September 1998, the Working Group on Dioxin Emission Reductions began

a study of measures needed to reduce the emissions of dioxins in Japan.
In June
1999, the working group completed its second report, which contains an
inventory of sources of dioxin emissions and a compilation of measures
needed to reduce
these emissions. The first report of this working group, completed in
May 1997, also included a dioxin inventory.
(1)Dioxin Emissions Inventory
The "Basic Guidelines to Promote Countermeasures to Dioxins," adopted on

30 May 1997 at the Ministerial Council on Dioxins Policy, directed the
government to
complete a second dioxin emission inventory by June 1999. The Working
Group on Dioxin Emission Reductions has accordingly completed a national

inventory that
incorporates new information obtained since its first dioxin inventory
report was published in May 1997.
This second report estimates that the total annual emissions of dioxins
in Japan for 1997 was within the range of 6,330 to 6,370 grams of
Toxicity Equivalents
(g-TEQ) and that the total annual emissions for 1998 was within the
range of 2,900 to 2,940 g-TEQ.
(2)Measures Needed to Reduce Dioxin Emissions
The second report found that the following measures are needed to reduce

dioxin emission levels.
*Full implementation of regulations and monitoring of dioxin emission
reductions
To reduce emissions of dioxins to the air, through implementation of the

Air Pollution Control Law and Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law is

important.
Regulations for waste incinerators and steel plant electrical furnaces
should be strictly enforced. The levels of emission reductions should be

monitored and
quantified. The national inventory should be revised each year.
* Promotion of emission reductions by unregulated sources
This inventory includes both regulated (e.g. waste incinerators and
electrical furnaces at steel works) and unregulated sources of dioxins.
Among these unregulated
sources, there are ones which have relatively large dioxin emission
levels (e.g. small waste incinerators and industrial sources like
sintering processes at steel works).
The reduction of emission levels at these sources should be emphasized.
Based on the latest scientific knowledge and the emission survey
results, the
countermeasures for dioxins discharged to water need further study.
*Measures for coplanar PCBs
A national inventory of coplanar PCBs should be prepared by gathering
scientific information, and collecting data. Besides dioxins, the
reduction for coplanar PCBs
should be promoted.
*Improving data reliability
In order to ensure precise and reliable data, further study is needed to

establish a system for quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) of
data by the third
parties besides an in-house QC/QA at laboratories.



http://www.eic.or.jp/eanet/e/jeq/v004-02.html#4
June, 1999

Ministerial Council on Dioxins Policy Established

Recognizing that more decisive measures against dioxins should be
promoted to protect human health and the environment, the Ministerial
Council on Dioxins Policy
(established on 24 February 1999 and chaired by the Prime Minister
Obuchi) issued the Fundamental Guidelines for the Promotion of Measures
Against Dioxins on
30 March. Based upon the guidelines, the government is aiming to reduce
the total volume of annual release of dioxins into the environment,
within the next four
years, by 90% of the amount that was emitted in FY 1997.
The guidelines are composed of the following eight principal courses of
action.
(i) Reevaluating the tolerable daily intake (TDI) and establishing
environmental quality standards.
(ii) Promoting measures to reduce the release of dioxins.
(iii) Improving inspection systems relating to dioxin measurement.
(iv) Conducting monitoring to grasp the impacts of dioxins on human
health and environment.
(v) Promoting research and development.
(vi) Promoting waste management and recycling.
(vii) Promoting information disclosure.
(viii) Contributing to the international community.

http://www.eic.or.jp/eanet/e/jeq/v003-03.html#4
September,1998
Dioxin Surveys

Concern about dioxins has grown dramatically in recent years. The
Environment Agency is charged with the task of monitoring dioxin
concentrations
and working with other ministries and agencies to reduce the risk to
human health and the environment. Here we provide the results of recent
surveys of
concentrations of dioxins in rivers, coastal waters and the atmosphere.

Survey on Dioxins in River and Sea Water

The Environment Agency has been conducting water quality surveys
regarding dioxins since 1990, and compiled survey results in fiscal
1997. The study included 12
sites around Japan and detected dioxin concentrations ranging from 0.005

to 3.9pg-TEQ/L, levels which are about the same as in recent years. This

year the Agency
will be conducting a more in-depth emergency national study of dioxins
and continue monitoring.
Two of the 12 sites (see map) were rivers and 10 were marine waters. One

sample at each site was analyzed per year for each of
polychlorodibenzondioxin
(PCDDs) and polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs). The results of the FY1997
survey were as follows.

Sampling Points for Dioxin Survey in Rivers and Seas
Fiscal 1997 Study on Emissions of Dioxins

The Environment Agency conducted a survey of emissions of concentrations

of dioxins from facilities in Japan for which this type of data was not
yet available. The
results of the survey are shown in these tables.
Future actions will include continuing surveys on facilities where data
available on emissions of dioxins and coplanar PCBs is still inadequate,

thus improving an
emission inventory of these substances and following up with
consideration of how to promote measures where necessary to control
emissions.

       Dioxin Risk Study Group Meeting

       On 14 July the Environment Agency hosted a meeting of a Dioxin
Risk Study Group in order to re-evaluate the health risks posed by
dioxins as a
       follow-up of the revision of Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for
dioxins by an expert meeting of the World Health Organization in May.