What’s in your fish, Japan?
There’s much more PFAS in the fish than the drinking water.
This fall, a Veterans for Peace delegation to Japan will test rivers near U.S. military bases for the carcinogens.
* Please help us pay for testing (See instructions below.)
By Pat Elder
June 8, 2023
Pan seared Japanese Teriyaki Tilapia
Japanese media have largely focused on drinking water as the primary pathway to human ingestion of per-and-poly fluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS). Meanwhile, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) estimates that fish and other seafood account for up to 86% of dietary exposure of PFOS in adults. PFOS - one compound of more than 14,000 varieties of PFAS - is extraordinarily dangerous because it bioaccumulates in fish.
PFOS is often contained in the outflows of wastewater treatment plants that typically do not remove the chemicals. U.S. Military sites frequently use and discard materials containing PFOS.
The compound is used in plastics manufacturing, chrome plating, wire coating, and engine degreasing. Japan has set no consumption advisories for PFOS levels in fish.
Tests on fish from the Hija River near Kadena Air Base revealed PFOS levels from 22,000 ppt to 111,000 parts per trillion, (ppt).
The four species listed here (from top to bottom) are Swordtail, Pearl Danio, Guppy, and Tilapia.
Swordtail, Pearl Danio, and Guppy are tiny fish that people typically don’t eat, but they provide a kind of barometer of the health of aquatic life and it’s not good. Big fish eat little fish!
Tilapia are much larger and are regularly eaten by humans. Tilapia is consumed by people and may contain a concentration 100,000 ppt of PFOS.
Japan has set a provisional guideline value of 50 ppt total of PFOS and PFOA per liter of drinking water while Japanese experts are discussing whether to lower the limit.
The Tilapia is 2,000 times more contaminated than what is allowed in the water.
Fish caught near military installations in the United States have contained nearly 10 million parts per trillion of PFOS. This is a great human health crisis.
Minnesota has set a standard of .05 ppt of PFOS in some lakes. The European Union has set a standard of .65 ppt in inland surface waters. This is because the chemical bioaccumulates in fish tissue at hundreds and often, thousands of times the levels in the water.
The fish taken from these Japanese rivers are likely to be highly contaminated. (Data: NHK.)
Our team has identified 20 specific locations downstream of the suspected discharge of PFAS into surface waters from American bases. If we’re able to raise sufficient funds, we’d like to collect two samples at each location. Although Japanese media have reported on PFAS levels in surface waters around the country, they have neglected to report on levels of the carcinogens draining from the American military bases.
We will be using test kits from Cyclopure, an American firm in Chicago.
The kits are 11,000 JPY each ($79). We would like to collect a large number of samples to create reliable data, but lack of funds is a problem. We would appreciate your help. Please donate here. When you donate, please write: “Japan/Okinawa Delegation” in the comment section.
For those in Japan, please let us know if you would like to help us select exact locations to test surface waters or if you would like to join us in collecting water samples or documenting our work.
The Misawa River flows 400 meters south of the runway on Misawa Air Force Base. What are the concentrations of PFAS draining into the sea?
List of possible testing locations throughout Japan:
Camp Zama Army Base in Zama;
Camp Fuji Marine Corps in Shizuoka Prefecture;
MCAS Iwakuni Marine Corps Base in Nishiki;
Fleet Activities Sasebo Naval Base in Sasebo;
Fleet Activities Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka;
Naval Air Facility Atsugi Navy Base in Kanagawa;
Misawa Air Base.
Okinawa
Kadena Air Force Base;
Torii Station Army Base;
Fort Buckner Army Base;
Camp Courtney Marine Corps Base in Uruma;
Camp Foster Marine Corps Base in Ginowan;
Camp Gonsalves Marine Corps;
Camp Hansen Marine Corps;
Camp Kinser Marine Corps;
Camp Lester Marine Corps Base in Chatan Town;
Camp SD Butler Marine Corps Base;
Camp Schwab Marine Corps Base;
MCAS Futenma Marine Corps in Ginowan;
Camp McTureous Marine Corps in Kawasaki Village
Yomitan Airfield Marine Corps Base;
Fleet Activities Okinawa Naval Base.
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* Please help us! I will be travelling to Japan in September and October with a delegation from Veterans for Peace to test surface waters for PFAS in 20 cities. It’s expensive. The 40 tests kits will cost 440,000 Yen - or $3,160. Please make a note that your contribution is for the Okinawa / Japan delegation.
Financial support from the Downs Law Group makes this work possible.
The firm is working to provide legal representation to individuals with a high likelihood of exposure to PFAS and other contaminants.
Interested in joining a multi-base class action law suit pertaining to illnesses stemming from various kinds of environmental contamination?
Join the Veterans & Civilians Clean Water Alliance Facebook group.
(2.4 K members and growing rapidly.)