2023-06-08 21:00:00
In the Tama area of Tokyo, there is a high possibility that contamination with perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), which has been pointed out as carcinogenic, has spread to the human body through the drinking water that is essential to life. A civic group’s blood tests on 650 residents strongly suggest that. Once ingested, PFAS is highly persistent in the body. Harmfulness such as carcinogenicity has been pointed out, and regulations are progressing internationally. We interviewed Professor Emeritus Akio Koizumi of Kyoto University (Environmental Health) to summarize the impact on health. (Kyota Matsushima)
Growth inhibition of fetuses and infants, risk of kidney cancer
Q What is the effect on health?
A In 2022, the American academic institution “National Academies” will analyze more than 5,000 papers, (1) Kidney cancer (2) Dyslipidemia (3) Decreased antibody response (4) Growth inhibition of fetuses and infants -I summarized the four risks. 3 and 4 are also accepted in the survey in Japan.
Q What is the standard for increased health risk?
AAccording to clinical guidance in the United States, if the total level of 7 types of PFAS, including the 4 types of PFAS published in this blood test, exceeds 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood (the index value in the United States) for a long period of time, it may lead to health problems. considered to be at increased risk. In Japan, research on the relationship between ingestion and health hazards has not progressed much.
“Eternal substance” that tends to remain in the body
Q How is it taken into the body?
AMainly through tap water and food. A survey in the Tama area found a difference in PFAS concentration in blood depending on whether or not a water purifier was used. In Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, it has been pointed out that agricultural products near the polluting factory may affect the blood concentration of residents. There is also a research report that inhaling house dust in a polluted room increases blood concentration.
Q Do PFAS remain in the body for a long time?
AOnce ingested, it is almost never excreted as urine and accumulates in the body. The biological half-life, in which half of the absorbed amount is excreted, is said to take about 5 years for PFOS, a type of PFAS, and about 3 years for PFOA.
Q Is there any relation to the “fluorine” contained in the toothpaste?
AThis fluorine is an inorganic fluorine compound and is different from PFAS. The Japanese Society of Pediatric Dentistry calls out that “fluorine compounds used in dentistry are not harmful if ingested in appropriate amounts.”
Q Can I prevent PFAS intake?
ACountermeasures include refraining from drinking well water and using water purifiers containing activated carbon in areas where contamination is a concern. In the Tama area, the Bureau of Waterworks has stopped taking water from heavily polluted wells, and PFAS levels in tap water are consistently below the government’s provisional target of 50 nanograms per liter. So don’t be overly intimidated and buy an expensive water filter that claims to remove PFAS.
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