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Describe the impact the disaster had on the environment...

The Minamata disaster had a lot of impact on the environment and its people. Ever since the opening of the Chisso factory, fisheries had been damaged because of the polluted wastewater. Fishing catches declined by 91% between 1953 and 1957. To make up for this, the Chisso Company gave money to the Minamata fishing cooperative in 1926 and again in 1943.

In 1959, the mercury in Minamata bay was investigated and a large quantity of mercury was found in fish, shellfish and sludge from the bay. Samples were then taken from people who lived around the Minamata area. The maximum level of mercury recorded was 705ppm (parts per million), Minamata residents who displayed no symptoms were also tested with a result of 191ppm in the level of mercury. People living outside Minamata had a level of 4ppm of mercury. In 1960, the Kumamoto and Kagoshima governments conducted a joint survey on the level of mercury in people living around the Shiranui Sea. This time, the highest result recorded was of a lady from Goshonoura Island who had a level of 920ppm of mercury. Lots of damage was done to the families who received this disease. By March 2001, 2 265 victims had been officially recognised as to having the Minamata disease, 1 784 of these people died. Patient’s families were the victim of discrimination and exclusion.

Besides fishery damages and damage of lives, the disaster also caused a lot of worrying among residents about the disease and if it was contagious or not. The Chisso Company was also at an economic ruin because it had to pay up for the damages it had caused. This was damaging because of the lack of other industry needed the Chisso company. The Chisso Company was responsible for a quarter of all jobs in Minamata. In 1951, the Chisso factory’s acetaldehyde production was over 50% of Japan’s output. Minamata needed the Chisso factory that was facing economic ruins. Back