What is the reason behind Minamata disease?
Minamata disease is a methylmercury poisoning with neurological symptoms and caused by the daily consump- tion 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.
Is Minamata disease curable?
However, a fundamental cure for Minamata disease has not yet been found. The main treatments involve the temporary relief of symptoms (symptomatic therapy), and rehabilitation (physiotherapy and occupational therapy).
Is Minamata disease fatal?
In general, these symptoms deteriorated and were followed by severe convulsions, coma, and eventually death. By October 1956, forty patients had been discovered, fourteen of whom had died: an alarming case fatality rate of 35%.
Do people still get Minamata disease?
Once called an “origin of environmental pollution,” Minamata disease was officially confirmed on this day 65 years ago. The film’s message–that “Minamata disease is still not over”–remains as heavy as ever.
How can people avoid getting Minamata disease?
Minamata disease can be prevented by reducing or eliminating one’s consumption of fish caught from bodies of water that are contaminated with high concentrations of mercury.
How do you test for Minamata disease?
Diagnosis of Minamata Disease Mercury poisoning is most often diagnosed with a laboratory measuring mercury levels in a hair sample. This is obviously non-invasive and is a very straightforward procedure.
How many people have died from Minamata disease?
In all, 900 people died and 2,265 people were certified as having directly suffered from mercury poisoning – now known as Minamata disease. Beyond this, victims who recovered were often socially ostracised, as were members of their families.
Is Minamata Bay safe now?
Four decades after horrible cases of mercury poisoning made Minamata Bay synonymous with environmental catastrophe, the regional government today declared the fish in the bay to be safe to eat. ”The danger of Minamata disease occurring again is gone,” Mr. Fukushima said.
How many died from Minamata disease?
According to the Japanese government, 2,955 people contracted Minamata disease and 1,784 people have since died.
What is the death count due to Minamata disease?
Of the 1422 Minamata disease patients in the Kumamoto Prefecture, 378 had died by the end of 1980. Of these 378, the first death occurred in 1954 with a peak incidence in 1956 when Minamata disease was officially reported for the first time. The number of deaths increased rapidly after 1972 with a second peak in 1976.
What is the symptoms of Minamata disease?
The symptoms of Minamata disease include sensory disorders in the distal portion of the four extremities (loss of sensation in the hands and feet), ataxia (difficulty coordinating movement of hands and feet), concentric constriction of the visual field (narrowing of the field of vision), hearing impairment.
How was Minamata disease resolved?
After several rounds of civil lawsuits, the issue of legal responsibility for Minamata disease was finally resolved about half a century after its discovery in 2004, when the Japanese Supreme Court ruled that the national government and Kumamoto Prefecture were jointly responsible for the cause and spread of Minamata …
What was the cause of Minamata disease in Japan?
1 Department of Epidemiology, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan. Minamata disease (M. d.) is methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning that occurred in humans who ingested fish and shellfish contaminated by MeHg discharged in waste water from a chemical plant (Chisso Co. Ltd.).
What are the symptoms of Minamata disease in babies?
Its major symptoms include sensory disturbance, ataxia, concentric constriction of the visual field, and auditory disorders. If a mother is highly exposed to methylmercury during pregnancy, her baby might suffer from fetal Minamata Disease, which sometimes shows different symptoms from the adult one.
Why was Minamata disease called the Cat Dancing Disease?
Locals called it the “cat dancing disease”, owing to their erratic movement. Crows had fallen from the sky, seaweed no longer grew on the sea bed, and fish floated dead on the surface of the sea. As the extent of the outbreak was understood, the committee invited researchers from Kumamoto University (or Kumadai) to help in the research effort.
How many people died in the Minamata disaster?
According to the Japanese government, 2,955 people contracted Minamata disease and 1,784 people have since died. Researchers believe, however, that the criteria the government uses to diagnose Minamata disease is too strict, and that anyone showing any level of sensory impairment should be considered a victim.