THE

MINAMATA INCIDENT

Presented by :
PRANEY KALRA
RAHUL SEHRAWAT
What is Minamata? Disease?
• Minimata city located on Yatsushiro sea coast in
Kumamoto prefecture in japan

• Neurological disease caused by severe mercury

poisoning

• Symptoms include paralysis, coma,

numbness etc.

• 2,265 victims,
1,784 of whom died
 Why did it Happen?
• First discovered in Minamata in Kumamoto
Prefecture

• Result of the Chisso corporation's method of

production which released methylmercury
into the surrounding waters

• Passed into fish which passed

into people
 Chisso Corporation
• First opened a factory
in Minamata in 1908

Chisso Factory

• First started acetaldehyde production in 1932,

producing 210 tons that year. By 1951 6,000
tons per year.
 The Realisation

• On April 21, 1956, a five year-old girl was

examined at the Chisso Corporation's factory
hospital in Minamata, couldn't determine
illness.

• Three days later, her sister was admitted

• Authorities carried out a house to house

search
 The Realisation cont
• A research unit was brought in to assess area

• Witnessed strange occurrences; cats having

convulsions, birds falling from the sky

• By October 1956, 40 patients had been

discovered, 14 of whom had died
Identification of Mercury

• A previous investigation had found that it

was a heavy metal poisoning

• As a result the Chisso plant was investigated

• March 1958, British neurologist Douglas

McAlpine suggested that Minamata
symptoms resembled those of organic
mercury poisoning
 Level of Pollution
• February 1959, the mercury distribution in
Minamata Bay was investigated

• Highest concentrations found around the

Chisso factory wastewater canal in Hyakken
Harbour and in the sea

• 2 kg of mercury per ton of sediment was

measured: a level which would be profitable
to mine
 1959
• Hajime Hosokawa, a doctor working for
Chisso corp, carried out research on mercury

• He found conclusive evidence that minimata

disease was caused by Chisso corp but was
told to stop his research

• The Chisso corp and other companies

interested in the factory paid for their own
research.
 Government Secrecy

• During late 1960 to early 1961, Kumamoto

and Kagashima prefecture carried out a
study on Minnamata. asking people to
donate hair samples

• They found that the disease was still very

active. However, they did not publish their
findings.
 Government Recognition
• Finally on 26 September 1968, the
governemnt accepted that Minamata disease
was a result of mercury created by the Chisso
corp

• However, the report contained many factual

errors; such as eating fish from other areas of
the Shiranui Sea could cause contamination
 Minamata Now
• Lawsuits against Chisso Corp, the prefectural and
national governemnts are still continuing

• Chisso's 2004 annual report shows £35 million in

'Minimata Disease Compensation and Liabilities' has
been paid9

• On March 29, 2010, a group of 2,132 of uncertified

victims reached an agreement with the above three
parties to receive individual lump sum payments of
£18,000 and monthly medical expenses
Thank you