BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The results of a survey released by Gifu Prefecture on Dec. 5 showed that some residents of the prefecture's Mogahara City had high levels of organic fluorine compounds in their blood, threatening their health. According to the investigators, this may be related to the excessive content of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances in a local water source.
Pedestrians wearing masks walk on a commercial street in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, January 13, 2021. Xinhua News Agency, Kyodo News.
In July this year, a water source in the city of Gomuyuan was revealed to have detected excessive levels of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances as early as three years ago, but the city has not announced it to the public, and it is still contaminated water to the public. A medical group in Gifu Prefecture organized blood tests for nearby residents in October, and the results showed that 79 of the 131 residents tested had excessive levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in their blood, accounting for about 60%.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are difficult to degrade and accumulate in the environment and the human body, hence the term "forever chemicals". Experts point out that long-term consumption of large amounts of water contaminated with such substances may affect reproductive health and children's growth and development, and even cause diseases such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Koji Harada, an associate professor of environmental health at Kyoto University, said the findings meant that a large number of local residents were at risk to their health. Investigators theorized that the contamination of the water source may be related to the use of foam extinguishing agents at the nearby Japan Air Self-Defense Force Gifu base.
Since the beginning of this year, it has been revealed in many places in Japan that the blood of residents has exceeded the standard of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and most of them live in the areas near the US military base in Japan and the base of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
According to a survey released in February by a citizens' group in Okinawa Prefecture, about 40 percent of residents living around U.S. military bases in Okinawa had abnormal blood test results.
In July of this year, the U.S. military in Japan admitted that there had been a leak of fire extinguishing agent containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at the Yokota base. More than half of the residents of Tokyo's Tama area, near the base, have been tested for excessive levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in their blood. (Zhang Jing).