Organic mercury discharged with the wastewater from an industrial plant polluted the environment, which in turn contaminated fish and shellfish. Lessons from minamata disease and mercury management in japan. Niigata minamata disease, niigata minamata byo is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Through gills and gastrointestinal tracts, fishery products such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish, take in methylmercury discharged from chemical plants into rivers and seas. They were formulated outside the legal system, by adhoc mediation committees specially established. Minamata disease was discovered with many cases of typical symptoms coming up in minamata. Treatment and therapies congenital minamata disease. Outline the history19081955 19561959 finding the causeidentification of mercury 1959 compensationwaste water treatment ten years of silence continued pollution congenital minamata disease mercury poisoning and control response measures against minamata pollution. At present, the mercurypolluted areas of the world are in need of the data of its minimum requirements and its influence on unborn children. A disorder caused by methyl mercury poisoning that was first described in the inhabitants of minamata bay, japan and resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste. The agreements and their formation shared a number of common characteristics. In the grounds of soshisha, the minamata disease centre, children pass two elderly patients.
Mercury poisoning of thousands confirmed world news. Minamata disease is an encephalopathy and peripheral neuropathy caused by daily intake of fish and shellfish highly contaminated by methylmercury. Also known as chisso minamata disease, it was first discovered in the japanese city of minamata in 1956. The city will hold a memorial ceremony and various other programs in order to. The minamata convention on mercury is an opportunity for the global community to address this mounting problem before it gets worse. This article compares the situation immediately following the initial discovery with that now prevalent. People who ingested these marine products then became poisoned. Minamata disease resulted from environmental exposure to methylmercury through contaminated fish and shellfish consumption. Neurologic features of chronic minamata disease organic.
Takeuchi parts i to v translated by scitran scientific translation service of santa barbara, california for the u. The felines would suddenly convulse and sometimes leap into the sea to their deaths townspeople referred to the behavior as cat dancing disease. Minamata disease victims memorial service organized by minamata city is held after 24 years. The minamata disaster and the disease that followed. Chisso occurrence of minamata disease minamata is a small town facing the yatsushiro sea, also called shiranui sea, in kumamoto prefecture on kyushu island in southern japan fig. Because of its location, townspeople eat a lot of fish. Minamata disease was named the cause of death for 1, 408 people. In 1959, at minamata city, where the key industry was fishery, many unknown symptom cases with central nerve system disorder were reported. Nearly 1,800 people have died from the disease, and it has had a. Over the next decades, implementation of this international agreement will help reduce mercury pollution from the specific human activities responsible for the most significant mercury releases to the environment. The minamata disease compensation agreements of 1959 were agreed between the polluting chisso company and representative groups of fishermen and minamata disease patients who had been affected by mercury pollution. Minamata disease definition of minamata disease by.
Methyl mercury discharged from the factory contaminated fish and shellfish, which in turn caused illness in the local inhabitants who consumed them and birth defects in their children. Shinobu sakamoto was born in 1956, shortly after reports of minamata disease emerged. Niigata minamata disease victims shed light on stigma in. Outline of relief programs for minamata disease victims. By the end of 1956, epidemiological and medical researchers identified the disease as heavymetal poisoning caused by eating the fish and shellfish of minamata bay. Minamata disease is a poisoning disease that nervous system, mainly central nervous system, is damaged by methylmercury. This story is dramatic evidence of the results of a national policy of prosperity at any. The minamata disease museum is managed by soshisha, an ngo committed to support minamata disease s victims since its very foundation.
The disease was caused by severe mercury poisoning, the source of which was methylmercury. Minamata disease is unique in its mechanism of outbreak. Outline of minamata diseasecause and damage of minamata. The marushima port pollution control project was a cleanup project to remove accumulated sludge and return the. Lessons from minamata disease and mercury management in. Niigata minamata disease, caused by tainted wastewater released into the agano river from a showa denko k. Signs and symptoms of minamata disease clinical features of minamata disease. Japanese officials contend mercurytainted bay is now safe. Methylmercury pollution in tapajos river basin, amazon. Nowadays, the museum tour is one of the more valuable services offered by soshisha for the sake of learning and spreading awareness of. Minamata is a small fishing town on the coast of the shiranui sea. Minamata disease a neurologic disorder caused by methyl mercury intoxication.
The japanese government has certified that 2,264 people have minamata disease. The faces of shiranui sea and of those living along its shores were irreporably changed by the recklessness of japanese economy lead. The number of sufferers of the disease could have been much smaller if the chisso corporation and the japanese government took responsibility sooner and the public would of been alerted of the toxic levels of mercury they were ingesting. In one of canadas prime commercial and sport fishing territories, the signs went up showing a skull and crossbones overlaying a frying pan. The popular names of catsdancing disease and the strange disease convey some of both the mystery and its alienating quality. Minamata disease compensation agreements of 1959 wikipedia. Yuji kanekeo is a congenital minamata disease patient.
Symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In minamata city, major industrial activities except agriculture have been depressed since the official discovery of minamata disease, the growth in the fish catch, commercial sales, and industrial production has become poor compared with those of the entire prefecture. The highly toxic compound bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay which, when eaten by the people living around the bay, gave rise to minamata disease. Minamata bay was heavily polluted in the 1950s and 1960s by wastewater, mixed with mercury dumped into hyakken harbour from the chisso corporations factory in minamata, particularly by methylmercury. A fishing port, minamata was also the home of nippon chisso hiryo co. About 1,000 people including victims families, patients, and citizens are present and pray for the lives sacrificed by minamata disease. Minamata disease, disease first identified in 1956 in minamata, japan. The history of relief for minamata disease victims has followed a zigzag course.
In all, 900 people died and 2,265 people were certified as having directly suffered from mercury poisoning now known as minamata disease. Social and ethical issues congenital minamata disease. Campaigners for the rights of minamata disease sufferers said the findings indicated that as many as 2m people might have eaten enough contaminated fish to suffer from such lesser, but still. Minamata byo, sometimes referred to as chisso minamata disease, chisso minamata byo, is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. Minamata disease article about minamata disease by the. Icett4 the social and economic impact of minamaa disease. The company responsible for the minamata epidemic was the chemical company chisso. Once the disease is present only therapies to ease the symptoms may be used. Identical in symptoms to the original outbreak of minamata disease in kumamoto prefecture, the second outbreak in niigata prefecture was confirmed with the same name in 1965. Established in 1988 by soshisha, the minamata disease museum embraces the role of handing down the complex heritage left by minamata disease. The mercurycontaminated fish eaten by her mother damaged her ability to. Minamata disease and the mercury pollution of the globe.
Finally, there was some recompense for the victims and a start on cleanup. Minamata disease top 10 environmental disasters time. Minamata disease is a catastrophic poisoning due to a failed public health response. Lessons from minamata disease and mercury management in japan ministry of the environment, japan 2011. Control of mercury pollution in japan and the minamata bay. Pathological clinical and epidemiological research about. The minamata disaster has certainly been the most outstanding example recorded of the effects of industrial irresponsibility and will remain as a never to be forgotten lesson. Beginning in 1969, a person with even a single symptom of the disease. Minamata convention on mercury international cooperation. For years, residents of minamata, a town located on kyushu japans most southwesterly island, had observed odd behavior among animals, particularly household cats. Even the unborn child is at risk from minamata disease.
To elucidate the neurologic features of chronic minamata disease, and the incidence of complications with aging, we studied 80 patients with documented minamata disease organic mercury poisoning from 1986 to 1994 mean age. It is established that the disease differs from inorganic mercury poisoning which damages. The disease is characterized by peripheral sensory loss, tremors, dysarthria, ataxia, and both hearing and visual loss. Of the cardinal neurologic findings, sensory impairment was seen with highest frequency in 98.
Minamata disease is a toxic nervous disease caused by eating seafood contaminated with methylmercury compounds discharged from the minamata plant in kumamoto prefecture of shinnippon chisso hiryo k. Furthermore, like other industrial pollution disasters, most of the effects are concentrated in lower socioeconomic groups such as labourers from primary industries in this case fishermen and their families. Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome triggered by acute mercury poisoning. Minamata disease the history and measures chapter 3 moe. This disaster, occurring in the vicinity of minamata bay in kumamoto prefecture figure 1, was first. Minamata disease first became evident in japan in 1956 and was caused by methyl mercury exposure. Minamata disease is typical of modern industrial pollution in so far as it manifests a wide geographic spread of impacts and casualties. The kumamoto district court ordered the state, the kumamoto prefectural government and chisso corp. Each year it becomes more difficult for him to talk and walk.
The fishbased diets of the people and cats of minamata seemed to be the common thread between those showing symptoms, leading scientists to suspect the fish in minamata bay were being poisoned. Over 20,000 people are now thought to have been affected. The minamata disaster 50 years on it is now 50 years since the most horrific mercury poisoning disaster the world has ever seen took place in minamata, japan. Dr moryama with mr hannaga a congential minamata disease patient at meisuien. Graphic fact file on minamata disease in the 1950s and 1960s, japans worst ever industrial poisoning but it was not until 1968 that the factory stopped pumping out.
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