Mendoza, Mary Therese S.

MT2-B

20192101089

August 14, 2020

An Analysis of the Contaminants Present in the Minamata Bay

I. Problem

1. What caused the residents of Minamata to experience ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet,
general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech,
and, in extreme cases - insanity, paralysis, coma, and death?
2. What caused the cats in Minamata to act crazy?
3. What caused the birth defects of the new-born babies?

II. Hypothesis

A large petrochemical plant in Minamata, run by Chisso Corporation, were dumping their chemical
leftovers into the Minamata Bay, thus, infecting the plants and fish in the bay causing the poisoning and
deaths of the residents, and cats in Minamata.

III. Data Gathering

Table1. Timeline of the Minamata Disease

1908 Chisso Corporation was built in Minamata Village

1932 Chisso began production of acetaldehyde using

Mercury Catalyst

1956 The first resident was reported as a patient

suffering from unknown neurological symptoms.

November 4, 1956 Kumamoto University reported that the disease is

a certain type of heavy metal poisoning
transmitted via fish and shellfish

March 1958 British neurologist Douglas McAlpine suggests

that Minamata disease symptoms resemble those
of organic mercury poisoning

February 1959 Investigations of Minamata Bay uncover shocking

mercury contamination

August 29, 1959 Mediated compensation agreement between

Chisso and the Minamata Fishing Cooperative for
damage to fishing

November 2, 1959 Members of the Kumamoto Prefectural Alliance of

 Fishing Cooperatives invade the Minamata factory
and riot, causing damage amounting to JPY10
million

November 12, 1959 The Ministry of Health and Welfare reports that
"Minamata disease is a poisoning disease...
caused by the consumption of large quantities of
fish and shellfish living in Minamata Bay and its
surroundings, the major causative agent being
some sort of organic mercury compound."

November 29, 1962 18 children are certified as the first congenital

Minamata disease victims

June 12, 1965 The outbreak of a second Minamata disease in

Niigata Prefecture is made public

March 1968 Niigata patients file a lawsuit against Showa

Denko

June 14, 1969 Litigation Group of the Mutual Aid Society files a
lawsuit against Chisso in the Kumamoto District
Court

July 4, 1970 Hajime Hosokawa testifies from his deathbed

about his cat experiments in the Litigation Group
trial

September 29, 1971 Showa Denko found guilty of negligence; Niigata

patients win compensation

March 20, 1973 Chisso found guilty of negligence; Litigation Group

patients win compensation

1977 A net is installed around Minamata Bay to prevent

toxic sludge and fish from contaminating other
areas

September 1, 1977 The net surrounding Minamata Bay is removed

and fish caught there are declared safe to eat

October 1, 2004 The Supreme Court of Japan ruled that the

national government was responsible for not
preventing the spread of Minamata disease after
1960

February 2002 2,265 victims of the disease had been officially

certified under the Law Concerning Pollution-
Related Health Damage Compensation and Other
Measures.
Table 2. Dredging of the Minamata Bay

Area Treated Area Disposed Volume

2 2
Landfill Area 582,000 m 726,000 m
2 2
Dredged Area 1,510,000 m 784,000 m
2 2
Total 2,092,000 m 1,510,000 m

IV. Analysis and Interpretation of Data

The Chisso Corporation had started making acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is found in various plants, ripe
fruits, vegetables, cigarette smoke, gasoline and diesel exhaust. This substance is widely used in the
manufacture of acetic acid, perfumes, dyes and drugs, as a flavoring agent and as an intermediate in the
metabolism of alcohol. The Chisso Corporation used Mercury as a catalyst to make Acetaldehyde, then
dumped the leftover reactions into the Minamata Bay. When ingested, plain Mercury does not cause
major effects to the body because our gut does not absorb it well. Inhaling Mercuric Nitrate caused some
workers to experience severe personality changes, hallucinations, and severe shaking. The cats in
Minamata were experiencing similar symptoms, but instead of inhaling them, they were eating them. The
anaerobic bacteria living in the Minamata Bay came in contact with the mercury, then transformed into
Methylmercury, the most poisonous form of metal. Methylmercury is a carbon attached to mercury with a
single charge. The plants in the bay became bioavailable, meaning the plants were able to absorb it.
Methylmercury is lethal to animals and humans because it is almost entirely absorbed by our gut, also,
methylmercury does not leave the system. The fish in the bay started ingesting methylmercury, then
people started ingesting them when they ate the fish. In 1956, people flooded the hospital, and the
doctors concluded they had ingested methylmercury. The severe birth defects were caused by
methylmercury combining with cysteine, then forming Methionine. Methionine is easily absorbed by the
placental barrier, thus causing the birth defects in the new-born babies. Table 2 shows the statistics of the
dredging in Minamata bay.

V. Conclusion

Minamata disease, once widespread around Minamata Bay, is counted among the most notorious
pollution-caused diseases. It is a neurological disease caused by ingesting toxic methylmercury. This
chemical accumulates and becomes concentrated up the food chain, in fish and ultimately in humans who
eat fish daily. Environmental pollution caused poisonous substances results in serious catastrophes such
as health damage and destruction of the living environment. Long-term and from-lower-to-heavier
pollutions around Minamata have great negative effects on health states in the residents. So, to avoid
underestimation, environmental and health surveys should be performed continuously in the methyl
mercury-polluted areas.

References:

Timeline of Minamata disease. (2019, April 27). Retrieved August 14, 2020, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Minamata_disease
Chronology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2020, from
https://www.minamatadiseasemuseum.net/chronology

Minamata Disease The History and Measures - Chapter 4. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2020, from
https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/hs/minamata2002/ch4.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yhaei1S5oQ&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8TqxBd8c2Y&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGB1PPs-Apo&feature=youtu.be