Hazardous Substance Found at 3 Water Plants in Saitama, Chiba

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Saitama Prefecture said Friday night it has halted water intake and supply at one of its filtration plants after hazardous formaldehyde exceeding limits was detected in tap water there, while neighboring Chiba Prefecture said it has stopped water intake at two plants after detecting the substance.

The water at the plants was taken from the Tone River and one of its branches, the Edo River, the prefectural governments said.

According to the Saitama prefectural government, more than twice the amount of formaldehyde permitted under national water quality standards was detected in water at its plant in the city of Gyoda.

On Saturday morning, however, the Saitama government said it resumed water intake and supply at the plant after the figures for the substance dropped and remained stably below the standard set by the central government.

The Chiba prefectural government said Friday it has stopped intake at its plants in the cities of Noda and Nagareyama. Early Saturday, it also halted water intake at another plant in the city of Matsudo.

The local governments are now examining the water quality upstream of the Tone River with cooperation from Gunma Prefecture, where the upstream water is located, to identify the source of the contamination, they said.

Formaldehyde could be generated by a combination of organic substances included in the drainage from chemical plants and chlorine, according to the governments.

Source: http://mainichi.jp/english/english/...8000c.html