Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were successfully synthesized by German scientists in 1881. Japan did not begin production until 1954, but its consumption has continued to increase rapidly. Japan's consumption was only 200 tons in 1954, but reached over 50,000 tons by 1971, an increase of 250 times in 17 years. Because PCBs are not easily decomposed in the natural environment, they easily enter the air, soil, rivers, and oceans during production, processing, use, transportation, and waste disposal, causing serious pollution. For those poisoned by PCBs, the damage is permanent. Due to the stable nature of PCBs, they cannot be excreted from the body, causing not only organ damage but, more alarmingly, vertical transmission to the fetus.
The Environmental Recycling and Preservation Organization (ERROR), an independent administrative agency in Japan established by the Japan Association for Compensation and Prevention of Pollution-Related Health Victims and the Environmental Business Group Earth Environment Fund, conducts research, education, and promotion of environmental protection, with a focus on the treatment of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste. Japan discontinued the use of PCBs in 1962 and enacted legislation in 2001 requiring those possessing PCBs to properly dispose of and dispose of them by July 17, 2016.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently launched an action to identify pigments containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exceeding 50 ppm. Because these pigments violate the Stockholm Convention's safety standards for PCBs, which pertain to persistent organic pollutants, METI intends to halt the production and sale of such pigments.
METI took this action because a previous investigation by the Japan Dyestuff and Industrial Chemical Association (JDICA) found that 57 out of 98 organic pigments tested contained excessive amounts of PCBs, which are not intended additives in the pigment production process.
Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (2012-02-03)
