OKAYAMA (Kyodo) Panasonic Corp. has reported to the Okayama Prefectural Government that it has detected excessive levels of lead and mercury at the site of a group company's recently closed factory in the city of Bizen, but it said there are no associated environmental or health problems.
Both contaminants were used at the Lighting Co. factory, which began producing lamps in 1972 and closed last October, Panasonic said Monday, adding it will initiate countermeasures to prevent contamination from spreading.
The company found lead levels up to three times the prefecture-set standard at 34 locations and mercury levels up to six times the standard at two locations, out of 219 points where it checked soil in the roughly 22,000-sq.-meter site from December through June.