US-JAPAN JOINT ATMOSPHERIC SURVEY PROVED 72 TIMES AS MUCH OF THE STANDARD-TO BE DIOXIN IN THE AIR

[John Visher <visherjc@crisscross.com>]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1999, MORNING EDITION

ASAHI ,YOMIURI, MAINICHI, KANAGAWA AND TOKYO (ALL  SOCIETY PAGE)


991026M

             US-JAPAN JOINT ATMOSPHERIC SURVEY PROVED 72 TIMES AS MUCH
OF THE STANDARD-TO BE DIOXIN IN THE AIR
              Upon receiving the complaint that the resident of USN NAF
Family housing have been suffered from the smoke exhausted by
the incinerating facility near by the base, the joint investigation team

of Japan Environmental Agency  (JEA) and US Forces Japan
(USFJ) conducted the dioxin survey and the result of the survey was
announced on 25.  It proved 52-picogram dioxin per one cubic
meter of air. This amount is 72 times as much of standard-to-be amount,
0.8 picogram.

               On this issue DOA invested 1.2 billion-yen by the request

of USFJ and had the SHINKANPO  (Present name ENVIRONMENT TEC COLTD)
installed new facility which decreases the amount of incinerating
material this spring. While JEA have continued survey with USFJ for 56
days from  July to
September the average 8.0 picogram  and  the maximum of 52 picogram was
recorded at the point 300 north from the incinerator.
               JEA has conducted sight survey intermittently since 1997
and reported that the amount is not so high as the USFJ indicates.
However JEA has to conduct joint survey by the request of the USFJ and
the result proved the density of air pollution this time.