Organic fluorine compounds exceed the standard! The US military has acknowledged for the first time that residents in a region of Japan have abnormal blood tests
According to a report by Asahi Shimbun on July 5th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government of Japan announced on the same day that information from the Japanese Ministry of Defense showed that the US military stationed in Japan admitted that the Yokota Base of the US military located in the Tama area of Tokyo had experienced three incidents of organic fluorine compound fire extinguishing agent leaks between January 2010 and November 2012. This is the first time that the US military stationed in Japan has admitted that there has been a leak of organic fluorine compound fire extinguishing agents at the Yokota base, but the US military stationed in Japan has not disclosed the specific amount of leakage, and has stated that it is unclear whether the relevant substances have leaked outside the base.
Residents in the Tama region of Japan have tested for excessive levels of organic fluorine compounds in their blood, and are calling on the government to thoroughly investigate the sources of pollution
Recently, residents in Kokubunji City, Tama Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan held a study session on organic fluorine compound pollution to learn about the latest investigation situation and called on the Japanese government to take measures as soon as possible to thoroughly investigate the sources of pollution.
A conference room in the public library of Guofenji City is crowded with people attending the study session. They mostly live in Guofen Temple and surrounding areas.
Recently, multiple media outlets have reported news of excessive levels of organic fluorine compounds in the blood of residents in the Tama region, causing great concern among local and surrounding residents about their living environment.
Tokyo Metropolitan Nakashi City Citizen: Most of my work and activity areas are in Kokubunji, so I am very concerned about this matter. I heard about this activity, which is about organic fluorine compounds, but I didn't expect people to be fully seated and can only listen to live broadcasts on their phones outside, learning a lot about it.
Organic fluoride is the general name of various organic fluorinated compounds such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, which are widely used in a variety of industrial products, such as foam extinguishing agents. Organic fluorides are not easily decomposed, and some of them have been shown to accumulate in the environment and human body, leading to health problems.
At present, the most suspected source of pollution is the US Yokota base located in the Tama region. The Japanese people and local governments are constantly demanding entry into US military bases to thoroughly investigate sources of organic fluoride pollution. But the Japanese government has always claimed that it has no authority, and residents around the contaminated areas can only swallow their pride.
Citizens of Tokyo's Kokinai City: The Japanese government should protect the safety of people's lives, so it is natural to understand this matter. Although it is somewhat difficult to determine the cause of pollution, the groundwater network will generally pass through the Yokota base along the way. It has also been reported that the US military at Yokota Base has emitted a large amount of organic fluorine compounds, so it is necessary for the US military base to explain this matter clearly, and the Japanese government should also make the public aware of it.
Shofu Koizumi, emeritus professor of the Medical Research Department of Kyoto University: The organic fluorine compound pollution has a high correlation with foam extinguishing agent, and it is Yokota Base of the US military stationed in Japan that uses a large amount of foam extinguishing agent. From this correlation, it can be seen that the possibility of the US Yokota base being a source of pollution is very high, so it is necessary to carry out cleaning work near the Yokota base.
Residents also stated that incidents of suspected pollution at US military bases are not uncommon and have occurred in many parts of Japan. However, the Japanese government has not investigated any results so far and has not conducted necessary health checks for local residents.
Citizen of Kokinai City, Tokyo: The current pollution situation seems to be spreading throughout Japan. Similar incidents have also occurred near the US military base in Okinawa, as well as at the Yokota base in the Tama area of Tokyo and the Houki base in Yokohama, both of which seem to have experienced such pollution. So it is necessary to identify the source of pollution as soon as possible and arrange for the public to undergo relevant health examinations for organic fluorine compounds.
