Box 5.2 Dioxins in Japan
Since 1983 the Government of Japan has undertaken an aggressive dioxin reduction
program. Considerable public concern arose over ambient dioxin levels, especially
since 1997. Dioxins were associated with various health issues, such as cancer and
birth defects.
The Government of Japan introduced an eight point dioxin reduction plan which
particularly focuses on waste incineration since incineration contributes about 88%
of Japan’s total dioxin loading. The government imposed new emission standards in
2002 consistent with those of the European Union, i.e. all new incinerators over 4
tonne/hour capacity must not exceed 0.1 ng-TEQ/m3N. This is significantly more
stringent than China’s current guidelines.
Source: Office of dioxins Control, Ministry of the Environment, Japan