A Cabinet panel approved a policy proposal Friday to curb dioxin emissions by around 90 percent in four years and set tolerable levels of the substance in the air, as well as look into water and soil standards, the Environment Agency said.
The proposed outline calls for revising guidelines on the tolerable daily intake of dioxin by humans within three months.
The new TDI will be used to calculate and establish dioxin limits for air, and the government will consider setting standards for water and soil. "This policy is important because it forms the basis for future policy," said Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who chairs the panel, adding that by taking the issue up in the Cabinet, he hopes to tackle it aggressively.