Kibichuo, Okayama Pref. –

PFAS concentrations in blood samples from 87.4% of those tested in a town in Okayama Prefecture exceeded a U.S. standard for the potentially carcinogenic chemicals.

The Kibichuo town government announced the results of its first blood tests on Tuesday, which were conducted at public expense last year, after PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected at a water purification plant in the town.

"Honestly speaking, it is higher than I expected," Mayor Masanori Yamamoto said at a news conference, calling on the national government to set guidelines regarding the so-called forever chemicals. The government currently does not have standards on PFAS concentrations in blood.

The share of 87.4% showed levels of seven PFAS substances, including PFOS and PFOA, totaling 20 nanograms or more per milliliter of blood. A U.S. academic institution has said that health risks increase when concentrations top the threshold.

A total of 709 people, age 2 to 102, took blood tests between November and December last year in the town of roughly 10,000 inhabitants. The highest recorded level of PFOA stood at 718.8 nanograms per milliliter of blood, while the average amounts of the seven PFAS substances totaled 151.5 nanograms, both significantly higher than the U.S. health standard.

Okayama University professor Takashi Yorifuji, who analyzed the test results, urged residents to "receive regular health checks and visit medical institutions if there are any symptoms."

The town is conducting additional tests for willing residents and plans to conduct a fresh round of tests in five years.

In October 2023, PFAS levels of up to 28 times the provisional national standard of 50 nanograms per liter of water were detected at a water purification plant in the town.

The chemicals are believed to have originated from used activated carbon that was left without being incinerated.