Hitachi Develops Instant Dioxin Meter

Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. has developed the world’s first device capable of instantly measuring dioxin levels in waste gases from incinerators, the company announced last Tuesday.

Unlike a conventional system, which gauges the tiny amount of dioxin in a gas, the new device focuses on a dioxin indicator, chlorophenol, which is relatively abundant and easy to measure.

Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, dioxin is a cancer hazard to people; exposure to dioxin can also cause severe reproductive and developmental problems (at levels 100 times lower than those associated with its cancer-causing effects). Moreover, dioxin can cause immune system damage and interfere with regulatory hormones.

While a conventional system takes weeks to gauge dioxin levels, Hitachi’s new device reportedly will be able to measure them instantly. The device has just gone on the market, with prices starting at 45 million Yen (roughly $416,000). Hitachi said it expects to sell about 10 units to research institutions and environmental gear makers in the first year.