Study of health and environment has been problematic. Chemical compounds hazardous to health have not been identified until after health problems have arisen. Adverse health effects are noted, the problems are discussed for the first time, and hazardous chemical compounds are then identified. Attention is paid to the removal of causative compounds, and new fields of study start to gain importance.
For example, many chemical substances were once considered candidates for air pollution. Causative substances were confirmed through animal experiments, and studies of pollution-related health effects were conducted. Such was the case with formaldehyde related to sick house syndrome. When formaldehyde was suspected to be a substance causing the symptoms, studies of the effects of formaldehyde were begun, and levels of formaldehyde in the environment were measured. Benzopyrene is a known carcinogen and is implicated in lung cancer. When coal-burning systems were converted to oil-burning systems, levels of benzopyrene in the Sapporo area decreased markedly.
In 1999, however, the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) law was enacted in Japan; developed nations worldwide have approved similar systems. We believe that much research into health and environment will now be conducted prospectively. It also appears that research into the problems of health and environment will be actively promoted.
