Introduction+to+Anna's+Minamata+Disaster

- ** MINAMATA DISASTER ** ** By: Anna 8C ** Minamata is a small town, overlooked by the company, Chisso Corporation. This town faces the Shiranui Sea, which Minamata Bay is a part of. The disaster happened in Kumamoto Japan. Kumamoto is a little town that is approximately 570 miles southwest of Tokyo. The majority of people who live in this town are fishermen and farmers. The Minamata Disaster was a disease known as the “Minamata Disease.”
 * IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF CHEMICALS **
 * What was the disaster? When was it? Where was it? [[image:minamata_map.jpg width="220" height="177" align="left"]] **

The Chisso (meaning nitrogen) Corporation dumped a huge amount of mercury into the Minamata Bay. Many people who ate fish from the bay had developed signs of methyl mercury poisoning. The disaster happened in 1932-1968 when the Chisso Corporation dumped mercury into the bay. Firstly, the Chisso Corporation was a fertilizer and carbicle company, and then became a petrochemical and plastic-maker. In the middle of 1950, people started to notice a strange disease. People felt numb in their arms, legs and lips and some people even became unconscious. More than 3,000 people have been noticed of having the Minamata Disease. In 1932, Chisso Corporation developed drugs, perfumes and plastics through using a chemical called acetaldehyde.

Dr. Hajime Hosokawa from the Chisso Corporation Hospital reported that an unclarified disease of the central nervous system broke out. He connected the disease with fish diets. Investigators were then announcing that the sea was poisoned by the Chisso Corporation. The company said that they were innocent and continued their production. But in 1958, Chisso Corporation stopped dumping mercury into the Minamata Bay and switched to dumping mercury into the Minamata River, expecting to minimize accusations.

Anna 8C Minamata Disaster page 2 Anna 8C Minamata Disaster page 3 Anna 8 Anna 8C Minamata Disaster page 5