SOME Western Tokyo residents are calling on the government to investigate and give immediate action on the water pollution that is allegedly caused by organic fluoride leakages from U.S. military bases in the country.
These were the calls made by some residents in Western Tokyo after scientists confirmed harmful per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances or PFAS in the blood of a group of residents in Western Tokyo’s Tama Region.
“Most of my work and life are in Kokubunji, so I care about this a lot. I heard there would be an activity here today, about organic fluoride. But I didn’t expect the place would be so full. I can’t get in, so I have to listen to it live on my phone. I’ve learned a lot of things about the pollution.”
Local residents suspect that the cause of the water pollution comes from the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Western Tama.
But according to the government of Japan they are not authorized to do as the residents request.
According to a citizen in Koganei, the Japanese government has a responsibility to protect the health of its people and the U.S. military base needs to provide an explanation of what happened because the underground water network in the area passes through the Yokota Air Base.
“The Japanese government should protect people’s health, so naturally they need to figure it out. Although it’s difficult to identify the cause to the pollution, the underground water network passes through the Yokota Air Base, and there have been reports saying they released a large amount of organic fluoride. Therefore, the U.S. military base owes an explanation, and the Japanese government should clear things up for the residents,” Koganei resident said.
According to Akio Koizumi, a Professor Emeritus of the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University, the source of the pollution is related to the foam fire extinguisher used by the U.S. Yokota Air Base.
“The pollution is closely linked to foam fire extinguishers, and it is the U.S. Yokota Air Base that has used a large amount of foam fire extinguishers. So, it is very likely that the Yokota base is the source of pollution, and a cleanup near the base is necessary,” Akio Koizumi, Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University said.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the United States acknowledged the leak of a foam fire extinguishing that occurred in January 2010, as well as in October and November 2012, that contained three toxic PFAS or per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.
According to the Tokyo government, this is the first time the U.S. military explained the leak of chemicals from a foam fire extinguishing at an air base in Tokyo.
PFAS can cause an increase in cholesterol, weaken response to vaccines in children, alteration of liver enzymes, increase in blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, weight loss in infants, and possibly cause testicular cancer and others.
According to the U.S. military, the foam fire extinguisher leak did not go out of the base.
However, they neither provided further information regarding the matter.
