March 26, 1999

Kiyoshi SASAMORI
General Secretary
Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO)

1. Dioxin, which is produced from the process of waste incineration, is causing serious pollution problems for the environment, including soil and farm products, adjacent to incineration facilities. RENGO is particularly concerned about the adverse health effects on workers who serve in jobs which involve high risks of being exposed to dioxin. According to data made public today by the Ministry of Labor, blood samples taken from workers engaged in subcontracted services at an incineration facility run by Osaka Prefecture were found to contain dioxin concentrations of up to 806 pictograms, some 50 times the ordinary dioxin level found in blood. It is extremely regrettable that the responsible authorities have failed to take appropriate measures to protect these workers from exposure. Some of the affected workers have today filed applications to the prefectural labor standards office for compensation under the employees' accident compensation insurance scheme.
   
   
2. The survey on dioxin contamination was conducted on 92 workers serving at the Toyono Beautification Center, which is run by Osaka Prefecture. As dioxin is very toxic, there are concerns that exposure to this hazardous material may cause serious adverse health effects on affected workers, even if specific diseases directly attributable to dioxin have not yet manifested themselves. Therefore, detailed physical checkups must be urgently provided for the affected workers, including those who have already quit their jobs at the incineration facility. In addition, health examinations should be provided to workers engaged in similar jobs nation-wide, investigations into their workshop environments conducted, and improvements made.
   
   
3. In response to mounting concern over the spread of dioxin contamination, RENGO has been seeking measures to protect workers from the risk of being exposed to dioxin, and we receive with anxiety the shocking report on dioxin contamination published today, and ask operators of refuse incineration facilities in both the public and private sectors to immediately inspect the actual state of dioxin contamination and make public the results of these inspections, as well as to clearly define reliable control measures. We strongly request the competent regulatory agencies to acquire a good grasp of emergency control measures being carried out, and address the needs of the affected workers by appropriately managing the employees' accident compensation insurance scheme.