The cause of the contamination of Kibichuo town’s tap water was activated carbon-containing PFOA, which had been placed upstream of the river that flows into the dam.

The PFOA concentration in the activated carbon was 90,000 times the national guideline. The bags containing the activated carbon were ripped. It is highly likely that the leaked PFOA seeped into the soil and flowed into the river connected to the dam.

Okayama Prefecture announced these facts at an emergency press conference on November 22, 2023.

Following the prefecture’s press conference, the town also held a public information session for residents that evening.

To residents concerned about the health effects

The third information session was held on November 22.

The first occurred on October 17, the day after the town issued a notice to stop drinking the tap water.

Mayor Masanori Yamamoto gave a vague explanation, saying, “There won’t be any immediate health effects.” He even stated something that is not true, saying, “There are areas across the country where the figures are even higher than Kibichuo Town.” There has never been a case of tap water with a concentration as high as that in Kibichuo Town.

When asked by a resident if he would drink the water, Deputy Mayor Kiyoshi Okada replied with a laugh, “I use well water.”

The second one was held on November 2nd.

Mayor Yamamoto only kept repeating, “We stand by the residents.” By this time, both the town and prefecture had already discovered the “activated carbon,” but they had not shared this information with the residents yet. Instead, the town reported its newly discovered mismanagement to the residents. After reviewing past water quality test results, it was found that the chlorine concentration also exceeded the standard value. The town reported and responded to this only after receiving guidance from the public health center.

The third session was held on November 22, called, “Interim Report Briefing on the Results of a Health Impact Survey on the Detection of Organofluorine Compounds.”

Has anything been found out about the health effects that worried the residents?

Investigation just a portion of PFOA-related diseases

Mayor Yamamoto spoke at the beginning.

“We held the Health Impact Countermeasures Committee meeting on November 17th and conveyed our intention to respond to the requests of the local community, including conducting blood tests.”

The town established “the Health Impact Countermeasures Committee” in response to the contamination of the town’s water supply. Its purpose is to investigate the health effects on residents and devise countermeasures. The first meeting was held on November 17.

Mayor Yamamoto appointed the nine-member committee, mainly consisting of experts.

[Chairman]

Takashi Yorifuji, Professor at Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

 

[Vice-chairman]

Toshihide Iwase, Director of Bizen Public Health Center, Okayama Prefecture

 

[Committee members]

Tatsuo Ito, Professor at Department of Hygiene, Kawasaki Medical School

 

Hironobu Katsuyama, Professor at Department of Public Health, Kawasaki Medical School

 

Hideyuki Kanda, Professor at Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

 

Soshi Takao, Associate Professor at Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

 

Keiko Tsukamoto, Director of Mitsu Medical Association, Doctor at Tsukamoto Internal Medicine Clinic

 

Machi Tsukamoto, Doctor at Tsukamoto Internal Medicine Clinic

 

Shoji Nakayama, Deputy General Manager of Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Chief of Exposure Dynamics Research Section

Following Mayor Yamamoto, Chairman Yorifuji Takashi took the stage.

He revealed that he had investigated the impact of PFOA on the residents of Kibichuo Town, using the results of the 2022’s specific health checkups and late-stage elderly health checkups for people aged 40 and over as well as the birth rates of premature and low birth weight babies for the past 10 years.

The comparison was made between the following three impacts on residents of the Enjo district, where PFOA-contaminated water was supplied, and residents of other districts:

・Lipids

 

・Liver function

 

・Birth weight

The results showed that “there was no significant difference between the residents of the Enjo district and those in other districts.” There was no evidence of any effect from drinking PFOA-contaminated water.

However, the study had some serious flaws.

First, the health effects of PFOA are not limited to the three areas of lipids, liver function, and birth weight.

In 2012, an independent scientific review committee in the United States announced the results of the world’s largest epidemiological study, involving 70,000 people, that exposure to PFOA has an impact on the following six diseases:

1. Pregnancy hypertension and preeclampsia

 

2. Testicular cancer

 

3. Renal cell cancer

 

4. Thyroid disease

 

5. Ulcerative colitis

 

6. High Cholesterol

In 2019, the European Environment Agency listed eight “high certainty impacts” as follows:

1. Thyroid disease

 

2. Increased cholesterol levels

 

3. Liver damage

 

4. Kidney Cancer

 

5. Testicular cancer

 

6. Delayed mammary gland development

 

7. Reduced response to vaccines

 

8. Low birth weight

It is unclear whether there is truly no effect on “lipids,” “liver function,” and “birth weight.” The original data was taken from specific health checkups for people aged 40 and over, and health checkups for the elderly. People under 40 were not included. Data on children was also not collected except for “birth weight.”

During the question and answer session following Yorifuji’s report, residents expressed their concerns one after another.

“It sounds like the interim report is saying there are no health problems and we should not worry, but does this mean we can rest easy?”

“Are there plans to conduct a survey of people under 40?”

“What negative effects does it have on children’s development?”

They asked questions in succession.

What are the “disadvantages of blood tests” that Professor at Okayama University mentions?

The residents were particularly concerned about the implementation of blood tests. The Health Impact Countermeasures Committee did not conduct blood tests in this investigation, meaning it is unclear how much PFOA has accumulated in the bodies of the residents.”

Data from the town’s existing health checkups reveal nothing about blood accumulation. If we are to compare the Enjo district to other districts, we must first test blood concentrations then make the comparison.”

To this, Yorifuji responded:

“There are advantages and disadvantages to blood testing, and the committee is considering it.”

In response to this answer, another resident asked,

“What are the ‘disadvantages’ of blood testing you just mentioned?”

Yorifuji explained:

“I think the difficulty in interpreting the results is a disadvantage. By conducting blood tests, I think it is possible to say that the levels here (in the Enjo area) are higher, and it is also possible to say that the levels are decreasing, so I think that is an advantage. However, it will be difficult to know how to interpret the results when they come out.”

A resident replied saying, “From what I’m hearing, it just sounds like you’re saying there’s no need for blood tests.”

The other residents were not silent after hearing Yorifuji’s explanation.

“We are all aware that the findings of blood tests alone cannot predict the health effects. However, only by comparing blood concentrations to changes in health status found during health checkups can we confirm whether the changes in health are caused by PFAS.”

“In other words, conducting these two tests simultaneously will be a major premise from now on. It is not that it’s okay just because there are no abnormalities in one’s current health condition, but because PFAS remains in the body, it is necessary to monitor both blood concentrations and health checkups over the next five to ten years, especially for children. I believe that focusing on both cause and effect and clarifying the relationship is the basics of science.”

The residents had a reason for demanding blood tests. They had been gathering information on their own for about a month after learning of the poisoning of their tap water. They were aware of the presence and efficiency of blood tests conducted in a number of locations across the country.

One resident spoke to Yorifuji and the town hall officials.

“Large-scale blood testing are being undertaken in a number of locations, and I recently learnt from the news that 1,000 people were tested in Osaka. I assumed that blood tests could be conducted on a 1,000-person scale, which is the same as the population of the Enjo district. We know that people of varied ages and diets in the Enjo district drink water with high PFAS levels. I don’t see why blood tests aren’t being done in this situation.”

“The expert committee should not be complicit in the town’s cover-up.”

Pressed by residents, Yorifuji said regarding the implementation of blood tests, “The committee will consider this in the future.”

However, the residents are not satisfied with just “considering” the plan.

“I’m most worried about the future of my children. The children are the biggest victims, having been forced to drink water without knowing anything. This is an issue that the parent generation would like the town, university professors, and everyone else to get involved in,  but saying they will ‘consider this in the future,’ doesn’t alleviate any of our concerns.”

“It is important for experts to debate the issue, but first and foremost I would like them to empathize with the concerns of the victims. We have collected signatures from 1,038 people, of which about 300 are from the Enjo district, who are asking for blood tests and refunds on water bills. I would like their voices to be taken seriously. We cannot compromise on blood tests.”

Some residents spoke out about their primal feelings about the town to the Health Impact Countermeasures Committee, which is made up of experts.

“Looking at the town’s responses so far, there have only been cover-ups and falsifications, and there is a sense of distrust among us. This has become the basis of the residents’ perception. I would like the committee to stand by the residents and ease the anxiety of each and every resident, rather than to be complicit in the town’s cover-up.”

Nevertheless, the residents’ hopes are soon dashed.

Kawahira Water Intake Facility, Kibichuo Towon (photo by Nanami Nakagawa on January 21, 2024)

To be continued.

(Originally published in Japanese on July 23, 2024. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

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