In Kibichuo Town, Okayama Prefecture, high levels of PFOA were detected in all 27 people who underwent blood tests by a research team from Kyoto University, including a two-year-old child.

The residents’ group made up of locals submitted the results of the blood tests to Mayor Masanori Yamamoto, demanding that all residents be blood tested.

One month later, on January 20, 2024, the town held an information session to explain the health effects. However, the scientist gave inaccurate information, causing anxiety among the residents.

At a public information session hosted by Kibichuo Town, January 20, 2024 (Photo by Nanami Nakagawa)

The mayor called in a scientist for “more accurate, reliable information”

About 150 people attended the information session, which was separated into two sessions due to the size of the venue.

Mayor Yamamoto said this in his opening remarks:

“The town is striving to resolve the issue, but there is a lot of conflicting information out there. We feel that sharing more accurate and reliable information with everyone is critical to overcome the many problems that lie ahead.”

So who is going to tell them the “accurate information”?

The speaker was Shoji Nakayama, a doctor and scientist at the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

He is the Deputy General Manager of Japan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office and Chief of Exposure Dynamics Research Section at National Institute for Environmental Studies.

Nakayama handed out materials that had the National Institute for Environmental Studies logo and began his explanation by projecting the same slide as the handouts.

Using the example of “the risk of an accident if you don’t wear a seat belt”

Nakayama began by outlining PFAS, including the characteristics of the substances, their uses, and regulations in Japan and overseas.

However, he failed to mention that what was detected in Kibichuo Town was PFOA, a particularly toxic type of PFAS. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a cancer-specializing agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), has determined that PFOA is “carcinogenic,” classifying it as “Group 1,” the highest ranking. PFOS, which is contaminating areas around U.S. military bases, is “possibly carcinogenic (Group 2B),” two levels lower than PFOA.

What about the health effects that residents were worried about?

“Effects on birth weight and immunity cannot be ruled out, but evidence for other effects is insufficient.”

“There’s a lot we don’t know”

Nakayama further explained that ingesting PFOA does not necessarily lead to the onset of a disease.

“There is a chance that you could die in an accident if you don’t put on your seat belt when you go home today, but it doesn’t mean that you will. Similarly, the risk of health effects increases, but nothing will happen right away.”

Regarding workers at PFOA manufacturing factories, he stated that “it is not affecting their health.”

Is Nakayama unaware of the tragic history that occurred at the PFOA factory?

Many workers on the PFOA production line in an American PFOA factory were ill. But the cause was unknown, and the company had not warned them of the risks associated with PFOA. The workers referred to their sickness as “Teflon fever.”

In 1993, researchers at the University of Minnesota studied workers at a 3M PFOA factory and found a causal link between PFOA exposure and prostate cancer.

In 1981, a female employee at a DuPont factory who worked with PFOA waste gave birth to a baby with a crooked right eye and one nostril, the same birth defect observed in animal testing of PFOA. Moreover, two out of seven female employees at the same factory gave birth to infants with similar symptoms.

“Just a drop of ink in a pool.”

Nakayama explained the blood test results of the residents’ group that took the test early on as follows.

“To put it simply, the test results are equivalent to a drop of ink into a swimming pool. Nowadays, we can measure with incredible sensitivity, but even at that level, it’s like a drop of ink into a swimming pool. When blended into the pool, you’d have no idea what color it was. That’s how little it is, so it doesn’t have a direct effect on the blood test values.”

Nonetheless, all 27 people tested had high levels, with the average being 171.2 ng/mL, 78 times the national average.

Just as the residents were wondering what Nakayama was talking about, he gave a different answer to a question from another resident.

“The blood test results of some of the people were higher than the general population. I think it’s clear that this is the result of drinking this water.”

“Yet, in the area of the DuPont factory in the United States, where locals filed a lawsuit, there were excessive amounts of PFOA in drinking water. The median concentration in Kibichuo is around half that of the people in the DuPont area.”

In the United States, a study of approximately 70,000 people living near DuPont’s PFOA plant was conducted by an independent scientific research council. It is the world’s largest epidemiological study of PFOA. The results, published in 2012, proved that PFOA exposure has an impact on pregnancy hypertension, preeclampsia, testicular cancer, renal cell cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and high cholesterol.

Nakayama’s explanation is not true.

Nakayama said that the concentrations among the 27 Kibichuo town residents were lower than those of residents living near the DuPont plant, but in reality the concentrations were several times higher for the Kibichuo town residents.

I took out the results of a study by the independent scientific research council of the United States from my bag, which I always carry with me when I cover PFOA. I checked the numbers right away.

Residents living near DuPont plants in the United States (69,030 people)

Average: 82.9 ng/mL

Median: 28.2 ng/mL

 

Members of the residents’ group in Kibichuo Town (27 people)

Average: 171.2 ng/mL

Median: 162.6 ng/mL

One resident raised doubts about Nakayama’s explanation.

“You just said that the blood levels measured around DuPont were twice as high as those of the residents of Kibichuo Town, is that true?”

It was Junko Abe, a member of the residents’ group. Junko had been gathering information from both inside and outside Japan since the water contamination was discovered in October 2023. She noticed Nakayama’s factual error.

As Junko was asking her question, KeikoTsukada, the town health department chief and moderator, tried to interrupt her.

Mayor Yamamoto also cut off the questions, saying, “He’s in the middle of the presentation. We’ll leave time for questions later.”

But this is a crucial factor. The misleading claim that people of Kibichuo town have lower PFOA concentrations than those in the United States, where the chemical’s detrimental effects on health have been proven, must be corrected before moving on with the session.

I decided to speak up. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m from the media. That is not true, so I think it would be best to correct it now. It’s not a question, it’s a misunderstanding of the facts.”

Nakayama then replied, “Perhaps I’m saying it wrong.”

“When you compare it to the median value ​​around the DuPont plant where the independent scientific research council conducted a survey, I would say it’s about the same.”

However, this is also incorrect. It is not “about the same,” but 5.8 times higher for Kibichuo town residents.

Nakayama continues.

“It’s half the level compared to an area called Little Hocking, where drinking water was extremely contaminated.”

This is also incorrect. Junko noticed this and pointed out, “I think the median value in Little Hocking was 227 ng/mL.” Nakayama replied,

“About the same, or maybe half, isn’t it?”

The median value among the 27 Kibichuo town residents who were tested was 162.6 ng/mL, not half of 227 ng/mL.

When Junko said, “It’s clearly not half,” Nakayama was at a loss for words and said, “It’s clearly not half, but, well…” and repeated, “It’s about half.”

A wry laugh arose from the audience.

The conversation went no further. Junko backed down, saying, “I asked because how you described the numbers was unacceptable as a scientist.”

“There will be no findings on health impacts.”

The residents’ hands keep rising.

“The guideline for tap water in Japan is 50 ng/L, and for blood levels in the U.S. it is 20 ng/mL. But we are forced to drink tap water with levels over 1,400 ng/L, and our blood levels are in the triple digits. I am asking what kind of consequences may follow in such circumstances. I would like you to look at the blood levels that the residents’ group measured and tell me what type of effects I should expect instead of just giving me a general thought.”

Nakayama answers.

“If the drinking period is three years, I think there will be almost no impact. If it is 10 years, I think we will need to do some calculations and other considerations, as we cannot know right now.”

“As for blood levels, 20 ng/mL is a lifetime value, and there is a 100-fold margin, so although it depends on past concentrations, if your current blood levels are between 200 and 300 ng/mL, it is unlikely that any immediate effects will occur.”

Nevertheless, the residents cannot be relieved. The WHO classified PFOA to be “carcinogenic” a month prior to the information session, assigning it the highest carcinogenicity ranking of “Group 1.” A resident made the following appeal to Nakayama:

“The fact that PFOA has been classified as Group 1 and that manufacturing and usage are prohibited in several countries is clear evidence that it is toxic. I’m concerned that we’re taking in amounts that we wouldn’t normally consume. Even if decades of research show that only one person is affected, we don’t want to be that person. I believe it is absolutely necessary to comprehend the current situation and conduct research on its long-term implications.”

Nakayama answeres.

“I understand your concerns. The possibility and risk are very low, but if I were to get cancer, it would be either ‘0’ or ‘1’. But as a doctor, if I were to look you in the eye and talk to you, I would say, ‘There’s no need to worry.'”

He explained the reason as follows:

“Worrying has other effects. For example, if a mother or father is concerned, it can have an impact on their child. It has been suggested that a mother’s anxiety is passed to the unborn child in the pregnancy. Given all of this, if I were to talk as a doctor, I would advise people to stop worrying. As a scientist, all I can say is that the risk is increasing, and the possibility cannot be ruled out.”

When a resident asked about blood tests, “Will 1,000 residents of the Enjo district not be enough?” Nakayama responded:

“It is possible to grasp the median value with around 100 to 200 people. However, even if we conduct a survey to see whether there are any health effects, I have to say that we will not get any results.”

When a resident pressed him, asking, “In that case, do you think it would be better not to conduct the survey?” Nakayama replied, “I think that the relationship between blood concentrations and drinking water would be an important study,” and continued:

“Our position is that we will never take advantage of a crisis. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, many researchers went to the site, but this placed a burden on the victims. As it turned out, they didn’t know much. We estimate what we hope to learn before beginning a study. They might be willing to participate, for instance, if I offered the study funds to cover the cost of collecting each person’s blood sample, but generally speaking, blood samples and questionnaires are an inconvenience. We would have people answer extremely long questionnaires. Research that is unlikely to produce results is not ethically recommended. Still, if we can get 100 or 200 people to participate, I believe we can get some useful data. However, I’d like to state right now that there will be no findings on health impacts.”

Nakayama was also opposed to conducting blood tests, consistent with the stance the town had taken at previous information sessions.

The residents were stunned.

“It appears that the doctors are unmotivated, and this cannot be helped. They say there’s little chance, no risk, and nothing going on, so it’s worthless to do it, and they don’t even conduct blood testing.”

To be continued.

(Originally published in Japanese on August 6, 2024. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

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