June 13, 2003
An ordinance partially amending the enforcement ordinance of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Ordinance No. 223, 2003) was approved by the Cabinet on May 9, 2003 and promulgated on the 14th of the same month, setting forth that the discharge of dredged soil containing dioxins would be regulated as of October 1. In line with the enforcement of this Cabinet ordinance, the related ordinances were revised to establish criteria for assessing dredged soil (that contains dioxins) and a testing method that correspond to the criteria.
The Cabinet ordinance regulates dredged soil containing dioxins that exceed the criteria stipulated by the ordinance of the Ministry of the Environment. Specifically, "the ministerial ordinance stipulating the criteria for assessing wastes containing metals and other chemicals that are to be disposed of at landfill sites, in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the enforcement ordinance of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Prime Minister's Office, Ordinance No. 6, 1973)" was revised to establish the criteria. The criteria shall apply mutatis mutandis the effluent standard prescribed in the enforcement regulation of the Law concerning Special Measures against Dioxins. The standard value is set at 10 picograms or less of dioxins per liter of test solution.
The methods for testing metals and other chemicals contained in wastes that are to be disposed of at landfill sites in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the enforcement ordinance of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Environment Agency, Notification No. 14, Feb. 1973) were also revised (*Ministry of the Environment, Notification No. 68) to establish the testing method. Test solutions shall be prepared using the same method for making test solutions for other hazardous substances contained in dredged soil under the new testing method. For testing the test solutions, the method for measuring dioxins in effluent prescribed in the Japanese Industrial Standard K0312 shall be used.
*Ministry of the Environment, Notification No. 68
Pursuant to the Article 4 of the ministerial ordinance stipulating the criteria for assessing wastes containing metals and other chemicals that are to be disposed of at landfill sites in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the enforcement ordinance of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Prime Minister's Office, Ordinance No. 6, 1973), the methods for testing metals and other chemicals contained in wastes that are to be disposed of at landfill sites in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the enforcement ordinance of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Environment Agency, Notification No. 14, Feb. 1973) are partially amended as follows and are to take effect on October 1, 2003.
June 13, 2003
Minister of the Environment
Shunichi Suzuki
"PCB" in the table in Article 2, Paragraph 9 is changed to "polychlorinated biphenyls."
Article 4 is revised as follows:
Article 4 Methods for Testing Dioxins
The methods for testing dioxins (those prescribed in Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Law concerning Special Measures against Dioxins (Law No. 105, 1999), same hereinafter) are as follows:
| 1. | Cinder; sludge; dust; waste acid; waste alkali; substance resulting from the treatment of cinder, sludge, or dust: Use the method prescribed in No. 1 of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Notification No. 192, July1992 | |
| 2. | Dredged soil: Use the following method. | |
| a. | Preparation of test solution: The method stated in the table in Article 1 shall be used for making samples, preparing sample solutions, and performing operation of sample solution to dissolve dioxins contained in such dredged soil to obtain slurry. The slurry shall be filtered using glass fiber filter paper (GFP) with pore size of 1 micrometer. (When filtration is difficult to perform, the slurry can be made into clear supernatant liquid by undergoing centrifugal separation at approximately 3,000 rotations per minute for 20 minutes.) The test solution shall be made by accurately measuring the amount of filtered solution required for testing. | |
| b. | Testing method: The method prescribed by the Japanese Industrial Standard K0312 shall be used. (The amount of dioxins obtained from measurement shall be converted to the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, as stipulated in Article 3 of the enforcement regulation of the Law concerning Special Measures against Dioxins (Prime Minister's Office, Ordinance No. 67, 1999)). | |