![]() The pollution continued for years after it was discovered, and Minamata disease became an international symbol of environmental damage and corporate corruption. The disease causes spasms, sensory loss and birth defects and can be fatal. Mercury poisoning is a sensitive topic in Japan, where a disorder now called Minamata Disease was linked to a chemical company that dumped tons of mercury compounds on the southern island of Kyushu. "At some point in the future they might start to show health effects," she said. Without seeing the Taiji results, she said that some damage from mercury might not appear immediately. The film pits him against a major corporation whose business practices leads to severe health hazards in the local populace. Eugene Smith’s (Johnny Depp) coverage of the effects of mercury poisoning in the village of Minamata in Kumamoto, Japan. ![]() Joanna Tempowski, a scientist who works on chemical safety at the World Health Organization in Switzerland, said the Minamata institute was a respected institution that was trusted to provide technical assistance. Directed by Andrew Levitas, ‘Minamata’ focuses on photojournalist W. Follow-up tests are planned by March of next year, with outside experts possibly invited, and a separte study is under way to track mercury levels in the local catch. (Kumamoto, Japan), in Minamata City, and it was directly discharged into Minamata Bay. ![]() A person could flush most of it from their system by completely cutting it out for a year.Īs served at "Moby Dick," a hotel run by the local government, the red and pink dolphin sashimi was chewy and faintly fishy, its mammalian consistency more like meat than fish.ĭespite the high mercury levels found in the Taiji tests, institute officials said neurological tests on the 182 citizens who wanted them found no problems. The causative agent, methylmercury, was produced from inorganic mercury as a byproduct of the process used to manufacture acetaldehyde at Chisso Co., Ltd. Although it can damage the nervous system permanently, mercury naturally fades from the body over time, halving about every 70 days. Individuals with the highest levels were advised to cut back on large fish and sea mammals. On Sunday, a town hall meeting was held to explain the results, and about 100 Taiji residents who attended were told that there was no need for most of them to change their diet, although future tests are necessary. Various tests were done from June of last year through February. The town government last year contacted the institute, which agreed to perform and pay for mercury tests as part of its research, according to Yoshio Kaino, a Taiji official who oversaw the program. Taiji had been considering adding a mercury test to its standard set of health checks for several years. He spoke to the AP by phone from Los Angeles. In Niigata the pollution was on the Agano River and there were over 2000 commercial fishermen active at that time. On each occasion, massive industrial pollution led to local fish having mercury levels as high as 40ppm. "If you're eating dolphin meat, you're eating poison, and if you're eating a lot of dolphin meat, you're eating a lot of poison," said Louis Psihoyos, director of "The Cove," which won an Academy Award earlier this year. It occurred in Minamata, Japan in the 1950s and then in Niigata, Japan in the 1960s.
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