KANEMI-YUSHO

ACCIDENT
Reported by: Zoraida S. Cuadra
KANEMI COMPANY

• Rice Oil
Manufacturer
• Kitakyushu City,
Fukuoka, Japan
RICE BRAN OIL CONSUMPTION

▪ FEBRUARY TO MARCH 1968 – Death of over 400 Thousand Birds in

Western Japan
▪ JUNE TO AUGUST 1968 – 14,000 People had various ailments
effects on human began to appear successively in western Japan
Common symptoms included dermal and ocular lesions, irregular menstrual
cycles and a lowered immune response
Reports of poor cognitive development in children
▪ OCTOBER 1968 – Patients gave a sample to the local Government Health
Center of the Rice Bran Oil that was used by the locals
Rice Bran Oil Sample was contaminated with PCB
 RICE BRAN OIL CONTAMINATION

• The PCB that was used as the

heating medium leaked from
the pipes and mixed into the
rice bran oil
• For deodorization, the oil was
heated using PCB as the
heating medium, circulating
through pipes.
• Due to holes in the pipes the
PCB leaked into the rice bran
oil.
 POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs)
PCBs are a group of man-made organic chemicals
consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms.
The number of chlorine atoms and their location in
a PCB molecule determine many of its physical and
chemical properties. PCBs have no known taste or
smell, and range in consistency from an oil to a
waxy solid.
PCBs belong to a broad family of man-made organic
chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. They
have a range of toxicity and vary in consistency
from thin, light-colored liquids to yellow or black
waxy solids. Due to their non-flammability,
chemical stability, high boiling point and electrical
insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds
of industrial and commercial applications including:
Electrical, heat transfer and hydraulic equipment
Plasticizers in paints, plastics and rubber products
Pigments, dyes and carbonless copy paper
Other industrial applications
PCBs and the Environment

▪ PCBs can be found worldwide. In the 1960s, when initial research results
were released, traces of PCBs could be detected in people and animals
around the world
▪ PCBs can degrade or breakdown in the environment, but the process
greatly depends on the chemical makeup of the PCBs. The degrading
process also depends on where the PCBs are in the environment. Typically,
PCBs are either broken down in the environment by sunlight or by
microorganisms. Sunlight plays an important role in the breakdown of PCBs
when they are in the air, shallow water, or surface soils. Microorganisms,
such as bacteria, algae, or fungi, biodegrade PCBs when found in soil or
sediments.
▪ PCBs entered the air, water, and soil during manufacture and use. Wastes
from the manufacturing process that contained PCBs were often placed in
dump sites or landfills. Occasionally, accidental spills and leaks from these
facilities or transformer fires could result in PCBs entering the environment.
EXPOSURE TO PCBs

▪ PCBs can enter human cells and tissues when contaminated air is
breathed in, when contaminated food enters the digestive system, or
through contact with the skin. The main PCB elimination routes are
through the faeces, urine, and breast milk.
▪ Once in the gastrointestinal tract, ingested PCBs diffuse across cell
membranes and enter blood vessels and the lymphatic system. PCBs,
especially those that contain a greater number of chlorine atoms, are
readily soluble in fats and thus tend to accumulate in fat-
rich tissues such as the liver, brain and skin.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF PCBs

▪ Cancer
▪ Immune Effects
▪ Reproductive Effects
▪ Neurological Effects
▪ Endocrine Effects
▪ Dermal and ocular effects
▪ Liver toxicity
▪ Elevated blood pressure, serum triglyceride and serum cholesterol
BANNING OF PCBs

▪ In Japan, the manufacturing of PCB was banned in 1972.

▪ PCB chemicals were banned in the U.S. in 1979.

▪ Although a decade had passed, an almost identical case occurred

in Taiwan in 1979. Again, rice oil had been heated by pipes that
leaked. On this occasion, the condition there was known as Yu-cheng
disease