Minamata Disease

Minamata disease  sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease   is a  neurological  syndrome caused by severe  mercury poisoning. Symptoms include  ataxia,  numbness  in the hands and feet, general  muscle weakness, narrowing of the  field of vision  and damage to  hearing  and  speech. In extreme cases,  insanity,  paralysis,  coma, and  deathfollow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A  congenital  form of the disease can also affect  foetuses  in the womb. Minamata disease was first discovered in  Minamata  city in  Kumamoto prefecture,  Japan, in 1956.It was caused by the release of  methylmercury  in the industrial  wastewater  from the  Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. This highly  toxic  chemicalbioaccumulated  in shellfish and fish in  Minamata Bay  and the  Shiranui Sea, which when eaten by the local populace resulted in mercury poisoning. While cat, dog , pig, and human deaths continued over more than 30 years, the government and company did little to prevent the pollution.As of March 2001, 2,265 victims had been officially recognised (1,784 of whom had died) and over 10,000 had received financial compensation from Chisso. By 2004, Chisso Corporation had paid $86 million in compensation, and in the same year was ordered to clean up its contamination. On March 29, 2010, a settlement was reached to compensate as-yet uncertified victims. A second outbreak of Minamata disease occurred in  Niigata Prefecture  in 1965. The original Minamata disease and  Niigata Minamata disease  are considered two of the  Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan