Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 3K views

    Minamata Mercury Diseases (Presentation)

    Uploaded by

    thanes_kumar
    The document describes the town of Minamata, Japan which suffered from mercury poisoning in the 1950s. The Chisso Corporation factory began dumping mercury wastewater into Minamata Bay in the 1920s, poisoning the fish and wildlife. In the 1950s, residents began exhibiting neurological symptoms like impaired motor skills and madness. It was later discovered that mercury from the Chisso plant had bioaccumulated in the local food chain, causing Minamata disease. Over 3,000 people died and 10,000 were affected by the time the poisoning was officially recognized in 1968.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Minamata Mercury Diseases (Presentation)

    Uploaded by

    thanes_kumar
    3K views34 pages
    The document describes the town of Minamata, Japan which suffered from mercury poisoning in the 1950s. The Chisso Corporation factory began dumping mercury wastewater into Minamata Bay in the 1920s, poisoning the fish and wildlife. In the 1950s, residents began exhibiting neurological symptoms like impaired motor skills and madness. It was later discovered that mercury from the Chisso plant had bioaccumulated in the local food chain, causing Minamata disease. Over 3,000 people died and 10,000 were affected by the time the poisoning was officially recognized in 1968.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    Minamata Mercury Diseases ( Presentation )

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document describes the town of Minamata, Japan which suffered from mercury poisoning in the 1950s. The Chisso Corporation factory began dumping mercury wastewater into Minamata Bay in the 1920s, poisoning the fish and wildlife. In the 1950s, residents began exhibiting neurological symptoms like impaired motor skills and madness. It was later discovered that mercury from the Chisso plant had bioaccumulated in the local food chain, causing Minamata disease. Over 3,000 people died and 10,000 were affected by the time the poisoning was officially recognized in 1968.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    3K views34 pages

    Minamata Mercury Diseases (Presentation)

    Uploaded by

    thanes_kumar
    The document describes the town of Minamata, Japan which suffered from mercury poisoning in the 1950s. The Chisso Corporation factory began dumping mercury wastewater into Minamata Bay in the 1920s, poisoning the fish and wildlife. In the 1950s, residents began exhibiting neurological symptoms like impaired motor skills and madness. It was later discovered that mercury from the Chisso plant had bioaccumulated in the local food chain, causing Minamata disease. Over 3,000 people died and 10,000 were affected by the time the poisoning was officially recognized in 1968.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 34

    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 http://www.japanfocus.org/images/592-3.jpg

    Minamata Bay
    – 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 1950’s:
    – 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 1950’s: Behavior Seen in Humans
    • Behaviors witnessed:
    – Loss of motor control in
    hands
    – Violent tremors
    – Swaggered walk
    – Insanity
    • “Cat-dancing” 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
    35dc782654b21d7492567ca000d8c50?OpenDocument
    Corp’s part in the Minamata
    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).
    – Hg22+ (mercurous).
    – Hg2+ (mercuric).
    • Mercurous and mercuric
    form numerous inorganic
    and organic chemical
    compounds.
    – Organic forms of mercury,
    especially methyl mercury,
    CH3Hg(II)X, where “X” 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
    • What’s 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 – 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
    <http://www1.umn.edu/ships/ethics/minamata.htm>.
    "Minamata disaster far from over." 30 Sept 2007. CNN. 22 Nov 2008
    <http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/30/japan.eco
    disaster.ap/index.html>.
    "Minamata, Japan ." Mercury Technology Services. 22 Nov 2008
    <http://www.hgtech.com/Information/Minamata_Japan.html>.
    "Minamata: The unfolding mercury disaster." Corrosion Doctors. 22 Nov 2008
    <http://corrosion-doctors.org/Elements- Toxic/Minamata-1.htm>.
    "Outline of Minamata Disease: 1. Cause and Damage of Minamata Disease."
    Minamata Disease Archives. National Institute for Minamata Disease . 22
    Nov 2008
    <http://www.nimd.go.jp/archives/english/tenji/a_corner/a01.html>.
    Thorpe, Thomas. A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry . revised. London,
    England: Longmans, Greens and Co., 1921.
    The End
    Thank you!!

    You might also like