Toxic substances detected in Tsukiji fish market soil samples

TOKYO — Toxic substances exceeding legal safety limits have been detected in soil samples taken from 30 spots at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, the Tokyo metropolitan government said Thursday (May 25), findings expected to affect the debate over moving the market to a new location.

The results of the first full-fledged soil survey at the Tsukiji market could influence Gov Yuriko Koike’s decision on whether the metropolitan government will move the famous but ageing market to a new site within the capital or renovate the market at the existing site.

The site of the existing fish market is believed to have been contaminated by chemicals used at a dry-cleaning plant that once stood there.

A laundry facility run by the Allied occupation forces after World War II previously occupied the site. The facility is believed to have used organic solvent solution and is likely to have left toxic substances in the soil.

Five types of substances - hexavalent chromium, arsenic, mercury, lead, and fluorine - at up to 4.3 times safety standards were found, according to the Tokyo government.

“There is no safety problem as the premises of Tsukiji are covered with asphalt,” a Tokyo government official said.

After becoming governor last August, Ms Koike suspended a plan to transfer the wholesale food market to the Toyosu waterfront district due to soil and air pollution concerns at the new site - previously occupied by a gas production plant - as well as mounting costs.

At Toyosu, where the new market was scheduled to open in Nov 2016, extremely high levels of toxic chemicals, including benzene, have been detected.

Ms Koike has said it is necessary to reduce the levels of toxic substances at Toyosu to below government safety limits to ensure consumer safety. The market also deals in fruit and vegetables.

A Tokyo government project team on the fish market relocation has estimated renovating the Tsukiji market at the existing site would cost about 85.2 billion yen (S$1.05 billion), cheaper than taking the necessary safety measures at Toyosu.

But the latest soil survey results could push the renovation costs for Tsukiji higher.

The Tokyo government conducted the soil inspection at the existing Tsukiji market site earlier this month, taking samples from about 110 locations there.

To detect substances which tend to remain in soil, including heavy metals, the metropolitan government took soil samples from 50cm below the surface.

The Tokyo government also looked for gas residue in the samples and detected benzene at one location. Benzene, a byproduct of gas production, is known to cause cancer. KYODO