MINAMATA : THE CASE OF THE DANCING CAT

In 1950’s , residents of minamata japan, noticed that something was wrong with thw city’s cats. The cats
would suddenly convulsed, make strange noise and jerking “dancing motions” and eventually die. Soon
these symtoms spread to the local town people, and scientist begin searching for the cause of the
terrifying sickness.

The culprit was soon revealed to the Chisso Corporation, a japanese chemical company with a factory in
minamata. About 30 years earlier, the company had began making an organic chemical called
acetaldehyde, using mercury as a catalyst to trigger the needed reactions. Afterwards the company
dumped the leftover chemicals into Minamata Bay, where the mercury come into contact with bacteria
that transformed it into most toxic form of metal methylmercury. This lethal substances was absorbed
by plants, which were in turn eaten by fish. Eventually, the substances made it way up to the food chain
and poisoned both cats and humans. Birth defects became rampant and more than 900 people died.
Thousands of victim have been identified. The neurogigal syndrome caused by extreme mercury
poisoning is now known in the history as Minamata Desease.

Minamata Desease caused more cases of newborns with severe birth defects. As they grow older, the
deformities of the limbs, and tremors showed the symtoms of the mercury poisoning. But how was this
posible? The young people had not eaten any fish. How had they contracted with the desease? A
developing baby in the womb of a mother expose to contaminants is very vulnerable to the same toxins
through the umbilical cord. Pregnant mothers expose to mercury from eating contaminated fish can
harm to developing fetus. This transfer of toxins from mother to baby is a major danger of
environmental toxins for any organisms. The transfer is called “congenital” tranfer.

Thus the mercury poisoning of the minamata fishing village is one of the first and most devasttating
cases of of industrial pollution on record. By traveling from the water into the food web, hazardous
metals such as mercury can come to harm humans whot eat from the top of the food web. It is
estimated that from the early 1930’s until the 1950’s, about 600 tons of methylmercury contaminated
water were dumped into Minamata Bay by the Chiso company. Since the first discovery of the cause of
the deseases, there have been 3000 people found to be affected by the mercury poisoning. Some
economic compensation has been won for the victims, but court battles were still happening as recently
as eight years ago.

This kind of environmental destruction that occured in Minamata is Condemmable. In our affluent
lifestyle, nature has been contaminated and people’s health has benn harmed. If we want to have
convinient and prosperous life, we must be grateful for nature’s gift and not pollute it. People should
feel ill-effect of polluting the environment and must refrain from doing it.

The lessons of Minamata desease serves as a warning, reminding us that tragic pollution disasters such
as Minamata Desease must never be allowed to reoccur anywhere on this earth.