minamata mercury diseases ( presentation )
TRANSCRIPT
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 Minamata Bay– Kills fish– Fisherman Payoffs
http://www.japanfocus.org/images/592-3.jpg
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
ridiculehttp://www.hamline.edu/personal/amurphy01/es110/eswebsite/ProjectsSpring03/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
horrifying deformities.http://www.nimd.go.jp/archives/english/tenji/a_corner/image/hasseimap.gif
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 Corp’s part in the Minamata epidemic and orders Chisso Corp to pay compensation to the families that were affected.
http://www.icett.or.jp/lpca_jp.nsf/505b1fe895fd2a8c492567ca000d587d/e35dc782654b21d7492567ca000d8c50?OpenDocument
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 recently as 1990.– Highest compensation for
the disaster was just under $3,000.
http://www.physorg.com/news110359851.html
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 SmithTomoko 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/SAKURA#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). – Hg2
2+ (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
Facilities (CDFs)Recycling
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???
ReferencesAllchin, 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.ecodisaster.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
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