Potentially carcinogenic chemicals over standard at 242 sites in Japan

The Environment Ministry revealed that PFAS contamination levels in Japan's groundwater and river water exceeded a provisional standard at 242 sites across 22 prefectures, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Okinawa. New exceedances were found at 42 of these locations, with the highest concentration recorded in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, reaching 26,000 ng/L—over 500 times the limit. The government aims to reduce PFOS and PFOA levels in tap water to no more than 50 ng/L by 2025, following a ban on their production and import after 2021.