JP Water Pollution Control Act — PFOS and PFOA Water Quality Monitoring and Substances Requiring Monitoring
ENFORCEMENT TIMELINE
PFOS and PFOA designated as substances requiring monitoring on May 28, 2020, with a provisional target value established
Overview
Under the Water Pollution Control Act and the environmental quality standards for water pollution, PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), both organofluorine compounds, are designated as substances requiring monitoring, promoting ongoing water quality testing in public water bodies and groundwater and the prevention of contamination before it occurs. These substances are currently managed under a provisional target value, rather than a legally binding effluent standard, of 50 ng/L combined, while the national government continues to conduct environmental surveys and consider whether to add the substances to the list of designated or hazardous substances.
Enforcement Timeline
May 2020: The Ministry of the Environment adds PFOS and PFOA to the list of substances requiring monitoring for water pollution, setting a combined provisional target value of 50 ng/L.
January 2023: The Ministry of the Environment establishes an expert panel to consider a comprehensive PFAS strategy.
2024: Guidelines for measuring PFOS and PFOA in water are revised, and nationwide surveys continue.
Business Impact
Business sites with a history of PFAS use, such as semiconductor plants, plating factories, chemical plants, and facilities storing aqueous film-forming foam, are expected to conduct voluntary water quality testing of on-site groundwater and factory wastewater and to implement measures to prevent leakage. In preparation for a possible future upgrade of PFOS and PFOA to designated or hazardous substances under the Water Pollution Control Act, which would introduce a legally binding effluent standard, businesses are encouraged to evaluate treatment technologies such as activated carbon adsorption and to consider switching to alternative substances.