Residents living near a
The move, believed to be first case of pollution mediation regarding PFAS nationwide, comes amid concerns over contamination after PFAS chemicals significantly in excess of the government's provisional cap were detected in groundwater in Settsu,
The number of applicants is expected to reach several hundred, with preparations underway to submit the application to the prefectural government's pollution review board by March. The residents also plan to run a petition from next month to recruit additional supporters.
Pollution mediation is a process designed to resolve environmental disputes swiftly and fairly, with national committees or local review boards serving as mediators between the involved parties. The case may influence developments in other regions where PFAS contamination is also an issue, such as Shizuoka, Okayama, and
"First, we want Daikin to disclose information that will form the basis for discussion, and to fulfill its responsibility to the surrounding community as a company,"
PFAS is term for a group of over 10,000 synthetic substances that include PFOS, or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid. They are also known as "forever chemicals."
Daikin, which previously used PFOA at its Yodogawa manufacturing plant in Settsu, has held three-party discussions with the prefectural and city governments on groundwater countermeasures for PFOA since 2009.
The prefectural government measures PFOA concentrations in groundwater at multiple sites near the plant, and a 2025 survey detected levels between 120 and 35,000 nanograms per liter, far in excess of the national guideline cap of 50 nanograms per liter.
The
==Kyodo
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