- Highly toxic chemical waste stored near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant was transferred Tuesday to a city in Hokkaido in northern Japan for detoxification, stirring safety concerns among local residents.
- The waste, mostly consisting of condensers and lighting ballasts, contains high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls that are harmful to humans and was disposed of in municipalities surrounding the plant before the 2011 nuclear disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
- The toxic compounds, known as PCBs, were used in products such as insulating oil for electrical equipment but their production has been banned in Japan since 1972 following a 1968 mass food poisoning outbreak.
Fukushima chemical waste moved to Hokkaido for detoxification
