CHISSO CORPORATION AND THE MINAMATA INCIDENT:

Minamata Disease in Japan

Pathology of Minamata disease.

Minamata disease, or methylmercury poisoning, was first discovered in 1956 around Minamata Bay, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. A similar epidemic occurred in 1965 along the Agano River, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The neuropathology of Minamata disease has been well studied; this review focuses on human cases of Minamata disease in Kumamoto Prefecture. Nervous system lesions associated with Minamat...

Minamata Disease and the Mercury Pollution of the Globe

Minamata Disease was discovered for the first time in the world at Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in 1956 (Minamata Disease Research Group; 1968, Harada M; 1995), and for the next time at Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in 1965 (Tsubaki T & Irukayama K; 1977). The both cases were attributed to the methyl mercury that was generated in the process for producing acetaldehyde u...

The History and the Present of Minamata Disease

Minamata disease is a methylmercury poisoning with neurological symptoms and caused by the daily consumption of large quantities of fish and shellfish that were heavily contaminated with the toxic chemical generated in chemical factories and then discharged into the sea. The first epidemic occurred in the southern costal area of the Yatsushiro Sea including Minamata mainly through the 1950s to ...

Late Lessons from Early Warnings: Science, Precaution, Innovation 92 5 Minamata Disease: a Challenge for Democracy and Justice

The disease first came to prominence in the 1950s. It was officially identified in 1956 and attributed to factory effluent but the government took no action to stop contamination or prohibit fish consumption. Chisso knew it was discharging methylmercury and could have known that it was the likely active factor but it chose not to collaborate and actively hindered research. The government concur...