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How did it happen? Who or what caused this disaster? The cause of this disaster was a petrochemical plant owned by a corporation called Chisso. This petrochemical plant released wastewater containing an organic mercury compound, known as methyl mercury. As the plant had released wastewater it began to cause a disease. Immediately the plant was suspected. The corporation’s own test had revealed that many metals were contained within the wastewater. This could cause serious environmental destruction. Within the year 1957 and the year 1958 researchers had many theories. In Hyyakken Harbor tons of wastewater were dumped, the wastewater then effected fishing areas, Minamata symptoms resembled those of organic mercury poisoning, was suggested by Douglas McAlpine when he was visiting. In February 1959, the mercury dumping in the Minamata Bay was then investigated. The researchers involved were shocked with the results. Within shellfish, sludge and fish from the bay huge amounts of mercury were detected. As Chisso dumped wastewater people that ate the contaminated fish for a long time then began to feel the effects of the Minamata disease.

Why did it happen? It all happened because Chisso Corporation had opened up a chemical factory, in 1908, and released the wastewater, containing many heavy metals, into Minamata Bay. Within the wastewater were metals such as copper, thallium, lead, arsenic, mercury and selenium. With the wastewater released into the bay the many locals have been consuming the fish in the bay, not knowing that the fish were contaminated. Fish and shellfish were contaminated causing a disease of the central nervous system. This then became the official discovery of the Minamata disease.  People ate fish and shellfish etc from the bay that Chisso polluted with wastewater. Doctors have observed, for a long time, that there was a high frequency of people having disorders. This is an image of Chisso Corporation dumping wastewater.