November 18, 2025
Following the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—organic fluorine compounds suspected of being carcinogenic—in groundwater near the Yodogawa Plant of major air conditioning manufacturer Daikin Industries (Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture), nearby residents announced on the 18th that they will file for public pollution mediation by the end of the year, demanding continuous health surveys and pollution countermeasures from the company. They aim to recruit approximately 1,000 applicants, making it one of the largest PFAS-related public pollution mediation cases in Japan.
PFAS is a general term for organic fluorine compounds, of which there are said to be more than 10,000 types. Representative substances PFOA and PFOS are suspected of being carcinogenic and their production is regulated internationally. Although the company ceased manufacturing and using PFOA by 2012, high concentrations of PFAS—exceeding 400 to 500 times the government’s target value—have been detected in groundwater near the factory. In 2024, Kyoto University and others conducted blood tests on residents and former Daikin employees, detecting high concentrations of PFAS that could potentially cause health damage in the blood of more than 30% of subjects.
Public pollution mediation is a process in which a mediation committee composed of experts and others acts as an intermediary to resolve issues related to pollution countermeasures and damage compensation. The group plans to file an application with the Prefectural Pollution Dispute Coordination Commission by the end of the year, requesting disclosure of materials related to PFAS contamination, environmental surveys, and health surveys. At a press conference on the 18th, attorney Naoki Ikeda, who heads the residents’ legal team, stated: “Residents are troubled about whether they can continue living in the area with peace of mind, and Daikin has a social responsibility to sincerely address such concerns. Information disclosure and additional surveys are indispensable for visualizing the damage, and we want this to serve as an opportunity to discuss future countermeasures together.”
Rerfence:https://mainichi.jp/articles/20251118/k00/00m/040/288000c
