The Town of Minamata

‡ Located on the coast of the Yatsushiro Sea in southwestern Japan. ‡ The village was very poor. ± Mostly fishermen and farmers. ‡ Villagers welcome Chisso Corporation http://www.jnto.go.jp/tourism/img/map/86.gif Chisso Corporation

‡ Chisso = nitrogen ± Produced fertilizer ‡ 1907: Chisso Corp. builds a fertilizer plant in the Minamata. ‡ Job openings ‡ 1925: plant begins dumping untreated wastewater into Minamata Bay http://www.japanfocus.org/images/592-3.jpg ± Kills fish ± Fisherman Payoffs Chisso Corporation

‡ 1932: Chisso plant begins to produce acetaldehyde to be used in the production of plastic, perfume and drugs. ‡ Acetaldehyde is made from acetylene and water with a mercury catalyst. ‡ After WWII plastic production boomed and Chisso Corp. grew. ‡ By 1970: Chisso brought Japan 60% of its income and owned nearly 70% of the land in Minamata. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tobin/Smith2.jpg Bizarre Behavior in Animals

‡ Early 1950͛s: ± Dead fish wash ashore ± Crows fall out of sky ± Suicidal dancing cats ‡ Mercury moves up the food chain.

http://flickr.com/photos/tropicalrips/127535537/ Mid 1950͛s: Behavior Seen in Humans

‡ Behaviors witnessed: ± Loss of motor control in hands ± Violent tremors ± Swaggered walk ± Insanity ‡ ͞Cat-dancing͟ disease ‡ Nobody knew the cause of the epidemic. ± Many hid for fear of ridicule

http://www.hamline.edu/personal/amurphy01/es110/eswebsite/Proj ectsSpring03/ebarker/Minamata%20Web%20Page.htm Putting the Pieces Together

‡ 1956: Researchers at Chisso Corp. Hospital experiment on cats with wastewater from the Chisso plant. ‡ They warn Chisso corp. ‡ Chisso corp. redirects the flow of wastewater to avoid being caught. ± A larger geographical area contaminated.

± Children born with http://www.nimd.go.jp/archives/english/tenji/a_corner/image/hasseimap.gif horrifying deformities. Putting the Pieces Together ‡ 1968: Government ran Public Health service traces the contamination to the Minamata Chisso plant. ‡ Government halts the production of acetaldehyde ‡ 1972: Government

publically announces Chisso http://www.icett.or.jp/lpca_jp.nsf/505b1fe895fd2a8c492567ca000d587d/e Corp͛s part in the Minamata 35dc782654b21d7492567ca000d8c50?OpenDocument epidemic and orders Chisso Corp to pay compensation to the families that were affected. The Aftermath

‡ 30-70 tons of methyl mercury was dumped into the Bay ‡ 10,000 people affected by Minamata disease. ± 3,000 died ‡ Compensation has been given to families as http://www.physorg.com/news110359851.html recently as 1990. ± Highest compensation for the disaster was just under $3,000. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Methylmercury : In the Body ‡ Methylmercury exposure in humans is from consumption of fish, marine mammals, and crustaceans ‡ 95% of fish-derived methylmercury is absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract and distributed throughout the body ± Highest in concentration in hair

www.mercury.utah.gov/images/health_effects.jpg Minamata Disease in the Nervous System

Areas in red show areas typically affected by the presence of methylmercury in the system . The lesions show characteristic signs and symptoms in Minamata disease. 1. Gait disturbance, loss of balance (ataxia), speech disturbance (Dysarthria) 2. Sight disturbance of peripheral areas in the visual fields (constriction of visual fields) 3. Stereo anesthesia (Disturbance of sensation) 4. Muscle weakness, muscle cramp (disturbance of movement) 5. Hardness of hearing (hearing disturbance) 6. Disturbance of sense of pain, touch or temperature (Disturbance of sensation)

National institute of Minamata Disease Archives Symptoms of the Disease

‡ Mild ± Ataxia ± Muscle weakness ± Narrowed field of vision ± Hearing and speech damage ‡ Severe cases cause ± Insanity ± Paralysis ± Coma ± Death

W. Eugene Smith Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath Minamata, 1972 More Symptoms

‡ A significant effect of Minamata is the onset of symptoms similar to those of cerebral palsy ‡ Fetal Minamata Disease ± A pregnant mother ingests toxic fish and the methylmercury concetrates inside the placenta. ± Harms the fetus while the mother is relatively unaffected

http://picasaweb.google.com/jazzyv0504/SA KURA#5065603192708172658 These are all children with congenital (fetal) Minamata Disease due to intrauterine methyl mercury poisoning (Harda 1986). Mercury: The Basics

‡ Mercury (Hg) is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. It melts at - 38.9oC and boils at 356.6oC. ‡ Mercury conducts electricity, expands uniformly with temperature and easily forms alloys with other metals (called amalgams). ± For these reasons, it is used in many products found in homes and schools. Mercury Chemistry

‡ Mercury exists in three oxidation states: ± Hg0 (elemental mercury). 2+ ± Hg2 (mercurous). ± Hg2+ (mercuric). ‡ Mercurous and mercuric form numerous inorganic and organic chemical compounds. ± Organic forms of mercury, especially methyl mercury, CH3Hg(II)X, where ³X´ is a ligand (typically Cl- or OH-) are the most toxic forms. Uses of Mercury

‡ We use its unique properties to conduct electricity, measure temperature and pressure, act as a biocide, preservative and disinfectant and catalyze reactions. ± It is the use of mercury in catalysis that contributed to the events in Minamata. ‡ Other uses include batteries, pesticides, fungicides, dyes and pigments, and the scientific apparati. Mercury in the Environment

‡ Upwards of 70% of the mercury in the environment comes from anthropogenic sources, including: ± Metal processing, waste incineration, and coal-powered plants. ‡ Natural sources include volcanoes, natural mercury deposits, and volatilization from the ocean. ‡ Estimates are that human sources have nearly doubled or tripled the amount of mercury in the atmosphere.

The Aquatic Mercury Cycle

Cleaning up

‡ The Minamata Spill ± Dredging ‡ Other ways of cleaning mercury spill ± United States ‡ Experimental ways ± Ongoing Research Minamata Cleanup

‡ What͛s is Dredging? ± Underwater excavation Minamata Cleanup

‡ Dredging ± Types ‡ Mechanical ‡ Hydraulic ‡ Airlift Mechanical Hydraulic

Airlift Minamata Cleanup

‡ Disposal of Sediment ± Landfills ± Disposal facility ± Ocean placement ± Confined Disposal Recycling Facilities (CDFs)

Separation

U.S. Mercury Cleanups

‡ Precipitation/ Co precipitation ‡ Absorption treatment ‡ Membrane Filtration ‡ Biological treatment Other ways of Clean Up

‡ Capping of Mercury ʹ contaminated Sediments w/ sand ‡ Inhibition of Mercury Methylation by Iron Sulfides ‡ Immobilization of Aqueous Hg (II) by Iron Sulfides Experimental Research

‡ Nanotechnology ‡ Phytoremediation ‡ Air Stripping ‡ In Situ Thermal Desorption (ISTD) Minamata Bay Today

‡ Eco Park of Minamata Bay has 2 purposes ± A stone memorial ± Landfill for Mercury Questions??? References

Allchin, Douglas. "The Poisoning of Minamata." SHiPS. 22 Nov 2008 . "Minamata disaster far from over." 30 Sept 2007. CNN. 22 Nov 2008 . "Minamata, Japan ." Mercury Technology Services. 22 Nov 2008 . "Minamata: The unfolding mercury disaster." Corrosion Doctors. 22 Nov 2008 . "Outline of Minamata Disease: 1. Cause and Damage of Minamata Disease." Minamata Disease Archives. National Institute for Minamata Disease . 22 Nov 2008 . Thorpe, Thomas. A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry . revised. London, England: Longmans, Greens and Co., 1921. The End

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