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To clean up soil and groundwater contamination generated by Murata's past business activities, Murata has undertaken surveys and countermeasures ahead of other companies. We are actively implementing measures targeting early stage completion of the remediation (decontamination), by taking steps toward eliminating the use of chlorinated organic solvents such as trichloroethylene. To be more specific, by the time groundwater permeation was prohibited according to the terms of the 1989 Water Pollution Prevention Law, 17 of Murata's 22 production plants and subsidiaries had already ceased using trichloroethylene. Furthermore, by 1998, use of the five specified types of chlorinated organic solvents including trichloroethylene had been eliminated throughout the Company.
In 1991, Murata introduced up-to-date technology to voluntarily undertake detailed surveys of soil and groundwater contamination in all plants and subsidiaries. As a result of this effort, it was concluded that 14 of the Company's 36 plants and subsidiaries had to institute remediation measures to remove contamination by chlorinated organic solvents.
With the aim of completely remediating soil and water contamination at the earliest possible date, our plants and subsidiaries with relatively high pollution densities are actively implementing new remediation measures through the application of new technologies, in addition to ongoing remediation measures.
We had accelerated remediation at seven sites by fiscal 2005. For each site, we use one of three different remediation methods: the On-site Bio Method, the On-site Iron Powder Method or the On-site Oxidation and Decomposition Method, depending on soil properties and the density and source of contamination.
On-site Bio Method
This method decomposes chlorinated organic solvents by injecting nutrients into the groundwater, in order to cultivate microbes present in the soil under anaerobic conditions. |
On-site Iron Powder Method
Soil and iron powder are mixed on-site. The reducing power of metallic iron deoxidizes, decomposes, and renders harmless chlorinated organic solvents in soil.
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On-site Oxidation and Decomposition Method
This is an oxidation and decomposition method using potassium permanganate. This method entails the direct injection of hydrogen peroxide into the groundwater, which directly oxidizes, decomposes and renders harmless various chlorinated organic solvents.
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On-site Iron Powder
Method |
On-site Oxidation and
Decomposition Method |
At 14 polluted sites that were deemed in need of remediation as a result of Murata's own survey, we drilled wells along the borders of the sites so as to measure data on trichloroethylene and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene. By fiscal 2005, we completed cleanup on two plants, and stopped operation of the remediation equipment at one plant, which is now in the stage of confirming the cleanup completion. Although there are still fluctuations within the allowable range at some plants and subsidiaries, the pollution level has been on a downward trend in general, and our cleanup efforts are progressing.
Completion of all remediation (decontamination) measures entails very high countermeasure costs. For business accounting purposes, Murata has carried out a trial calculation of the full cost of remediation measures to ensure that all contamination has been removed.
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