Tokyo - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the interim results of the environmental inspection of the ex-Murayama plant site last April. In the announcement it was said that a comprehensive test of 1,750 points within 350 areas at the Murayama plant site would be carried out to determine the presence of 19 substances including volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and dioxin and would announce the final results of the inspection together with a soil treatment action plan in autumn.
The inspection has been proceeding in collaboration with the local authorities. Since it was found out that dioxin exceeds the environmental standard in a certain area, Nissan decided to report the interim results of the inspection to the authorities immediately.
The area where dioxin was found is limited to about 30 meters around the site where an incinerator, used until 1995, was located. Therefore, it has been concluded that there are no effects on the areas outside the plant site. In addition, the area has been covered with water-proof sheets so that the substance cannot evaporate and spread outside in the rain water.
Inspections to find out the depth and direction of underground dioxin are also being conducted. The results will be announced this coming autumn together with other results regarding volatile organic compounds and heavy metals together with a soil treatment action plan.
<Interim Results of Dioxin Inspection>
(1) Ground surface (initial inspection): contamination range defining inspections (five points mixed method) based on the guidelines by the Ministry of the Environment showed dioxin of a maximum of 1000pg-TEQ/g which is 19 times more than the environmental standard.
(2) Ground surface specifically around the area where the incinerator was located: inspections at 11 points within the site where the incinerator was located showed that all points were within the environmental standard. (Maximum level was 190pg-TEQ/g.)
(3) Underwater: inspections at the closest well to the incinerator within the plant site showed that the level was 0.017pg-TEQ/L which is below the standard of 1pg-TEQ/L.
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