Ensuring

Safe and Secure
Water

CONTENTS
Tripartite talkActions against
PFAS and Water Safety
Mr. Yasuhiko Hasuike
Director, Social Insurance Organization Department,
Social Medical Corporation Kenseikai
Executive Director, Kenseikai PFAS Expert Committee

Mr. Shigeki Habuka
Executive Officer,
Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation

Mr. Masakatsu Yasuguchi
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions Co., Ltd.

Byoinshinbun Co., Ltd.

Actions against
PFAS and Water Safety

Tripartite
Talk

Discussed topics such as a “PFAS-free” society (in the conference room of the Kenseikai Social Medical Corporation in Tachikawa, Tokyo)

PFAS (organic fluorine compounds), which have been linked to health effects,
have been detected in groundwater and in many other locations throughout
Japan. Given the situation, the PFAS Expert Committee of Social Medical
Corporation Kenseikai (Tachikawa, Tokyo) published the “PFAS Guidebook:
Study Material” in October 2023. Yasuhiko Hasuike, Executive Director of thecommittee, says, “There is no need to be overly worried, but we want people
to be aware of the issue first.” Meanwhile, Europe and the U.S. are leading theway in regulating PFAS, and the globally operating Mitsubishi Chemical Group(MCG) has launched a company-wide effort to achieve a “PFAS-free” society.
In this tripartite talk, under the theme of “Actions against PFAS and Water
Safety,” Mr. Shigeki Habuka, Executive Officer of MCG, talked about theregulatory situation in Japan, Europe and the U.S. regarding PFAS and theoutlook for countermeasures. Mr. Masakatsu Yasuguchi, President and CEOof Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions (MCAS), a subsidiary of MCG andbeing engaged in water treatment business, presented examples of how thewater cycle, from water source to wastewater, can contribute to a PFAS-freesociety. (Their job titles are as of the February 2024 tripartite talk.)2-What motivated you to work on PFAS actions?
Mr. Hasuike
It was in January 2020 when I heard about a news report that PFAS had been detected in a well in
Tachikawa, Tokyo, near the Yokota U.S. military base. As our organization intended to work with the local
residents to build a community through non-discrimination, equal healthcare, and peace issue, we decided tohold study sessions on PFAS.
However, at that time, the entire country was in turmoil, with people infected with COVID-19 among thepassengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. While carrying out our duties, such as admitting patients
infected with COVID, we held several online study sessions to deepen our awareness of the PFAS issue. With
the support of the chairman of our organization Kenji Kusama, saying “since we are to protect the health of
local residents, let’s work together with them on this issue,” and in August 2022, together with local
residents, we established the “Association to Reveal PFAS Pollution in Tama Region.”
From November 2022 to March 2023, the association conducted PFAS blood tests for local residents at 18
clinics, including Kenseikai, with 791 residents from 30 municipalities throughout Tama region
participating. We were in the midst of the eighth wave of the pandemic, and some doctors who were dealing
with infected patients said, “This is unnecessary at this difficult time.” However, the test results wereshocking: PFAS was detected in nearly all thesubjects. Furthermore, in 46.1% of all cases, blood

Mr. Yasuhiko Hasuike

PFAS levels exceeded the American Academy's

Director, Social Insurance Organization Department, Social Medical
Corporation Kenseikai
Executive Director, Kenseikai PFAS Expert Committee"possible health hazard" level, reaffirming the needfor us as a medical institution to work to eliminate
the health risks to the residents.
To make these issues known to as many people aspossible, we published the “PFAS Guidebook:
Study Material” (shown in a separate column) incollaboration with Professor Emeritus Akio
Koizumi and Associate Professor Koji Harada of
Kyoto University.
Also, in May 2023, Kenseikai and Fureai Clinic
opened the first PFAS Outpatient Consultation
Service in the country and it continues to support
local residents.

Graduated from the Tokyo
University of Agriculture andTechnology in 1998 and joined
the Social Medical Corporation
Kenseikai in the same year.
Assumed position of
A d m i n i s t r a t i v e D i re c t o r o f
Children’s Clinic of Tachikawa
Sogo Hospital in July 2008,
Inadaira Clinic in December
2010, and Ominami Family
Clinic in March 2012. In May
2013, Director of Kenseikai. In
January 2014, Administrative
Director of Yaho Ekimae Sogo
Clinic. In August 2015,
Administrative Director of Kokubunji Hikari Clinic. In August 2019,became Deputy Administrative Director of Tachikawa Sogo Fureai
Clinic. From September 2021 to December 2022, seconded to
Kyoritsu Medical Foundation as Executive Director. Returned toKenseikai in December 2022, Executive Director of Kenseikai PFAS
Expert Committee since March 2023 and current position since May
2023.

-Please tell us about your efforts at the PFAS Outpatient Consultation Service.
Mr. Hasuike
We have established the PFAS Outpatient Consultation Service to address the concerns of residents who haveundergone the blood test. We do not believe there is so-called “PFAS disease” although publications in
3

Europe and the U.S. have suggested that some PFAS may be carcinogenic. For this reason, we are advisingpeople, especially those with high levels of PFAS in blood, to be more conscious of their health, to get healthcheckup, and to talk to their primary care doctor if they have any health concerns. Ultrasonic scan is alsoavailable if needed. They seem relieved when we tell them, “There is no need to be overly afraid of PFAS.”
Given the fact that the PFAS issue has not yet been established as a field of medical expertise, we believe thatthe local primary care doctors could address this issue. With that said, I hope that the blood tests will be
conducted to find out the actual situation throughout JapanPFAS regulations advancing in Europe and the U.S.
-What is the status of PFAS regulations?
Mr. Habuka:
In Japan, the production and import of toxic PFAS
is prohibited, but regulations on PFAS in general
are still at the stage of being discussed. In thissense, Europe is rather more advanced.
According to government data, Europe had
previously implemented separate regulations foreach type of fluorine compound, such as PFOS andPFOA. However, recent PFAS regulations haveresulted in confusion in the industry because theregulations comprehensively cover all fluorinecompounds, including substances that are essential
for semiconductor manufacturing and those thathave a significant impact on daily life.
This move toward blanket PFAS regulations began

Mr. Shigeki Habuka
Executive Officer, Mitsubishi Chemical Group
Born in Chiba, Japan in 1958,
graduated from the Universityof Tokyo, Faculty of Law in1981 and joined the Ministry of
Finance in the same year. In
2005, joined the Ministry of
Finance, and served as Directoro f t h e S e c o n d Ta x a t i o n
Division, Taxation Bureau,
Ministry of Finance. In 2008,a s s u m e d D e p u t y D i re c t o rGeneral in Ministry of Defense.
In 2011, Deputy Director
General of the Budget Bureauof Ministry of Finance. In 2014,
Director-General for Policy
Planning, Cabinet Office. In 2016, Cabinet Office Deputy Director
General. In 2017, assumed position of Executive Officer in Business
Planning Office of Business Strategy Department of Mitsubishi
Chemical Holdings. In 2019, became Executive Officer and General
Manager of the Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
Office of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation. 2020, became
Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation.
2022, assumes his current position.

with proposals from five countries (Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway), and theprocess is now underway for inclusion in the EU's REACH regulation. Following the publication of the draft
regulations in February 2023 and the period of public comment collection from March to September of thesame year, the regulations are expected to take effect in 2025 or later. After an 18-month transition period,
the proposed regulations would be implemented as early as in 2027.
4

In the U.S., efforts have started with transparency,such as requiring businesses that manufacture or
import goods containing PFAS to report theamount of PFAS contained in their products,
emissions, and environmental impact information.
In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator announced PFAS Strategic
Roadmap. Some states are adding regulations not
only on drinking water and soil, but also to
general consumer products such as cosmetics andchildren's products. In light of these developments
in Europe and the U.S., the Japanese governmentis expected to consider regulating PFAS.
Mr. Habuka explaining the regulations

Committed to the water treatment business, including
groundwater membrane filtration systems-Please tell us about MCAS’s response to this issue.
Mr. Yasuguchi:
MCAS started in 1952 as a distributor of ion
exchange resins by the name of Nippon Rensui,
our predecessor company. In 2017, a groundwater
membrane filtration systems company joined ourgroup. Having celebrated our 70th anniversary in
2022, we have been committed to the water
treatment business.
Our groundwater membrane filtration systems
have been installed in more than 1,400 facilities,
primarily in hospitals and nursing homes, becauseof their ability to reduce cost of water supply innormal times and to help maintain medical

Mr. Masakatsu Yasuguchi
General Manager, Aqua Solution Department, Amenity Life Division, Advanced
Solutions Business Group, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (and)Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mitsubishi
Chemical Aqua Solutions Co., Ltd.
Born in Osaka, 1965, joined
Mitsubishi Plastics in 1989 andwas assigned to the Osaka
Branch. In 1999, Facilities
Equipment Division (Business
Planning) of Mitsubishi Plastics.
In 2010, Sales Manager of
Mitsubishi Plastics Sales
Kansai Branch. In 2011, GM of
Mitsubishi Plastics Lifeline
Division. In 2013, General
Manager of New Product
Planning Division of Mitsubishi
Pl a sti c s Inf r a te c . In 2017,
General Manager of Facilities
and Equipment Division of Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec. In 2020,
became General Manager of the Sales Support Division of
Mitsubishi Chemical Cleansui Corporation. In 2021, assumes his
current position.

functions even when water is cut off due to5disasters.
Hospitals must maintain their medical functions for at least 3 days during a disaster, so we offer filtration ofgroundwater for use in dialysis and surgery. When the earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s
Day this year, more than 20 systems we had supplied in the area was operating without any problems, evenwhen the water supply was cut off.
Recently, it has become very difficult for municipalities to operate their water utilities, especially water
treatment plants, due to aging pipes. So, we have been talking to municipalities across the country to see
how our technology can help them. During the process, we have encountered this PFAS issue more often thanever and we are asked if there are any good countermeasures.

Water quality analyzer for PFAS introduced, R&D
for its removal is underway
Mr. Hasuike:
I see that MCAS is working to make PFAS harmless. However, I assume companies that are global or trying
to be successful in the U.S. or in Europe are likely to move toward working on “PFAS-free.”I think theJapanese government should take the lead in making efforts to realize “PFAS-free” and provide a certain
amount of subsidy.
Regarding MCAS’s groundwater membrane filtration systems, what about installing them in areas where
PFAS have been detected? With such technology, we would probably be able to identify the source ofcontamination and this would lead to removing it. What are your thoughts on that?
Mr. Yasuguchi:
Groundwater membrane filtration system requires water quality testing, and we have our own water analysis
laboratory (in Higashimurayama, Tokyo) for in-house testing. The lab is accredited by the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and as a water quality testing laboratory, it also performs testing at
the request of outside organizations. These days, more customers with a strong interest in PFAS issues areasking for the testing service.
We have also been interested in PFAS issues and introduced a PFAS water quality analyzer. Initially, theanalysis was done in response to customer requests, but in response to recent situations, we doubled thenumber of analyzers to broaden the scope. Also, the MHLW notified that water utilities operators and watersuppliers should confirm and report the results of water quality tests in its October 2023 administrative
6

communication "Confirmation of Water Quality
Te s t R e s u l t s f o r P F O S a n d P F O A a n d
Implementation of Water Quality Test". In
response to this, we have created a dedicated PFAS
page on our website to respond to the notice.
Consultations are available through this web page.
As for removal, activated carbon is the mosteffective method so far. For example, schools inareas where the PFAS problem has been identified
are trying to remove it with activated carbon byattaching a home water purifier to the faucet. We
don’t think that’s wrong, but the question is what
to do with the activated carbon after PFAS
removal. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have adefinitive answer to this question. The only way is
Without extreme fear, Mr. Hasuike says, ``First of all, be aware of the
problem.''to burn activated carbon, but it has to be burned
at very high temperatures, which is not good forthe environment because it emits CO2, and they do not seem to have the facilities for it.
So, what can we do? Other than activated carbon, removal may be possible using ion exchange resins, UV,
biological treatment, or reverse osmosis membranes used in seawater desalination. However, how todecompose them after removal is still unanswered worldwide but if a technology to decompose them can be
developed, it would be a great breakthrough and contribute to society.
We hope to somehow achieve this through a combination of different technologies.
Mr. Hasuike:I look forward to the success of your development. As a technology-driven country, I would like thegovernment to focus on this.
As for the source of PFAS contamination, the fact that foam fire extinguishers used at airports and U.S.
military bases have leaked is a concern, but the disposal of PFAS that companies have used in their business
operations is also a major issue. I feel that the problem is similar to that of radioactive waste disposal, in that
it is difficult to handle. As I was listening to you, I thought that this issue would be very important in the
future.
Mr. Yasuguchi:
In addition to removing contaminants, I believe it is also necessary to prevent contamination. We areconsidering a precautionary simulation that can detect any contaminant seeping into the ground andcontaminating the groundwater.
7

Our groundwater membrane filtration systems are installed in 1,400 locations across the country, so we know
where the groundwater is readily available in the areas we serve.
We believe that with a little more development of research and analysis using this groundwater potential
information, we can propose preventive measures, although they are not easy.

Tighter regulations expected in Japan toward
PFAS-free society-Will awareness of the problems with PFAS spread and regulations bestricter in the future?
Mr. Hasuike:
As mentioned earlier, our standards are lax compared to those of Europe and the U.S., there are currently nostandards for soil or blood in Japan. How, do you think, is this going to change?
Mr. Habuka:
Japan is still behind, but as the EU begins to regulate, Japan cannot be the only country without regulation
and will be forced to adapt to the EU’s direction because the companies are doing business globally.
In addition, although the PFAS issue is not well known to the general public today, the government will see
the need to seriously address the issue as public opinions grow. So, it is only a matter of time.
This is similar to the case with carbon neutral regulations. At that time, Japanese industry questioned
whether these regulations were necessary or thought it was too strict. So, Europe took the lead. This is partly
due to cultural differences. In Europe, they first come up with a general vision of what it should be, and thendecide specific measures later. In Japan, on the other hand, people tend to set realistic goals because they feel
obligated to meet the goals once they are set.
Mitsubishi Chemical Group has adopted the concept of “KAITEKI.” This means comfort for people and theearth, as well as comfort for producers and consumers, and this PFAS issue absolutely must be addressed torealize this KAITEKI. We will continue to work on the issue with such mindset.
Mr. Hasuike:
I wish the government would support companies like MCG that is going to work on PFAS-free.

8Mr. Habuka:
Our group has already engaged in developing PFAS-free materials, such as polycarbonate, which has highthermal insulation properties without the use of PFAS.
We hope to get government support for such PFAS-free efforts, but they seem to be still in the researchphase.
Mr. Hasuike:I hope the industry will push for government support. We, in the medical field, will try to approach from ahealth risk perspective.
To date, there have been no known cases of health problems caused by PFAS in Japan. However, this may be
due to lack of research. The health of the Japanese people must be protected from PFAS by taking appropriate
measures before health hazards occur. For areas already known to be contaminated with PFAS, proactive
health measures need to be taken. However, if you take the environment as a whole, technology has to beadvanced first. So, I think this is something we can work on together.
Mr. Yasuguchi:
Currently, prefectural and municipal officers are much more interested in this issue than the national
government. There is also large difference in the level of interest between areas with wells where PFAS havebeen detected and areas where they have not. The first step would be to start with the municipal andprefectural governments, and eventually with thenational government. Also, I think that the
government should look at another approach tothis issue, such as encouraging companies to use
alternative materials, if we want to advancemeasures to address the problem.
This is a very serious problem for areas such as
three Tama areas of Tokyo, where the PFAS
problem has been pointed out. I believe that, asinterest in this issue grows throughout Japan,
there will be an accelerated efforts towards thisissue.
The same is true for development, where speed isthe key. Various companies around the world,
including ours, are competing with each other indevelopment.
We hope to find some kind of solution as quickly
Mr. Yasuguchi says he will continue his research.

as we can using our technologies and knowledge of9

ion exchange resins and membranes.
Mr. Hasuike:
The most common way of exposing to PFAS is from (drinking) water, and in some areas, it may be from food.
In this sense, this issue should be the concern of the entire country, not just of one company.
Today, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the national government are encouraging the water quality
testing, but I believe that subsidies and other type of support are necessary for taking such measures aspurchase of equipment for this purpose, and the development of technology for decontamination, let alone
the water testing itself. In addition, there is a need for more testing providers to make blood tests available tothose who want them. I think it would be possible to expand testing capacity by subsidizing institutions to
install PFAS testing devices, just as the government subsidized the installation of COVID testing devices.
Some people moved to Kunitachi and Kokubunji in Tokyo for “good tasting water.” The water in Japan issomething to be proud of even globally speaking. So, I believe that Japan can contribute to the world byadvancing the decontamination technology. The global trend is toward PFAS-free. Therefore, we need toaddress the water issue in particular, using a variety of technologies.
Our organization will continue to disseminate information and work with various people to address thisissue.

From left: Mr. Yasuguchi, Mr. Hasuike, and Mr. Habuka

10What is P F A S ?
Widely used in household and industrial products
According to the “PFAS Guidebook: Study Material,” PFAS are synthetic compounds that do
not exist in nature; they were developed in the U.S. in 1940s and there are more than 10,000
types. They are widely used in household products such as waterproofing sprays andfluoroplastic coatings for frying pans and pots. In industrial products, it is used in foam fire
extinguishers used in military bases, airports and large parking lots, as well as insemiconductor manufacturing, metalworking and metal plating.
PFAS released with wastewater from factories and military bases remain in the environment forlong periods of time and are absorbed into the human body through tap water drawn fromgroundwater or river water, raising concerns about their health effects. Some PFAS have been
identified as potential carcinogens, and regulations are being tightened worldwide. The
WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified PFOA among PFAS
as “carcinogenic to humans,” the highest of the four categories used to safely manage
carcinogens and reduce their health effects.

11

Mitsubishi Chemical Group provides a wide range of water solutions to thecustomers of hospitals and medical institutions for maintaining medical
treatment functions in the event of a disaster.
Groundwater Membrane Filtration Systems

Dialysate water purifier

Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions Co., Ltd.

Compact Membrane Filtration Equipment

FRP quake-resistant water storage tankhttps://www.wellthy.co.jp/water/

https://www.mrc-medical.jp/iryoyosui/

MBN Series

Emergency shut-off valve system

Mitsubishi Chemical Aqua Solutions Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd.

Emergency private power generator/LP gas

5-year-life drinking waterhttps://www.mcas.co.jp/feature/feature-88458/

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Energy Corporation
https://www.tn-energy.com/

Mitsubishi Chemical Group Co., Ltd.
編集・発行：株式会社病院新聞社〒102-0093

https://mchem-infratec.com/products/equipment̲01/

Mitsubishi Chemical Cleansui Co., Ltd.
http://www.cleansui.com/

https://www.mcgc.com/

東京都千代田区平河町2-4-1 日本都市センター会館12階

ホームページ：http://www.byoinshinbun.com/

TEL：03-3265-9997

電子メール：mail＠byoinshinbun.com

FAX：03-3265-2937