SelfIntroduction

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Self-Introduction
Tomoko Makizono(22) 1st grade of master course
of Recycling and Environmental engineering,
Graduate school of Fukuoka University
(Graduated from Chemical Engineering) A
graduation thesis Synthesis of
trimethylfuryl-fulgide As the beginning
education of graduated school , we visit various
places for understanding of recycling and
environment issues as the special seminars. I
was much impressed on the Minamata disease, so I
am going to explain on it.
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Minamata Disease
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An outline of Minamata Disease
Minamata disease is an encephalopathy and
peripheral neuropathy. People was suffering from
mercury poisoning, by eating fish concentrated
the methyl mercury contaminated in the waste
water from Chisso Co.
Legally certificated patients are 2,265. But the
people who are applying to the prefecture for the
certification are more than 20,000.
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Minamata Disease
A five-year-old girl was had peculiar symptoms
and was hospitalized in Shin Nitchitsus
hospital, April 1955. Her two-year-old sister
developed similar symptoms two days later and was
hospitalized. They were the first official
patients. Then, another similar patients were
found, and some patients died after several
months.
The symptoms are cramp, narrow visual field
, hearing loss, gait disturbance, dysesthesia,
etc
Minamata disease patient
Fishermans hand
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Congenital Minamata disease
There were a lot of born babies who got a similar
symptom to Minamata disease.
Later investigations showed that a baby was
affected by methyl mercury in the placenta.
Congenital Minamata disease patient and her mother
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Minamata and the Shiranui Sea Area
Minamata, Kumamoto Pref. was a place of rich
nature, having been enclosed by the sea and the
mountain. Shiranui sea was place with abundant
fish.
Present Shiranui sea (2005)
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Minamata Area
The factory of Chisso Co. A one of the main firms
in Japan, in Kyushu and north Korea.
reclaimed land (2005)
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The reason why Minamata disease had spread
over?
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Position of Chisso in Minamata
Chisso Co. hired many local people of Minamata,
with high monetary salary, and became
indispensable existence for Minamata city and
citizens.
Glorious years of Minamata when Chisso Co. had
been developing
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Reason 1 Mass production
of acetaldehyde
At the beginning of 20 th century, Chisso Co.
founded a factory at Minamata, and discharged its
waste into the sea, with less concern on its
effects.
For the huge mass production of acetaldehyde
since 1952 , Chisso Co. increased polluted water
with methyl mercury.
In this production mercury act as a catalyst.
Outfall of wastes
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Reason 2 The more developing Chisso Co., the
richer Minamata city and citizens.
An dominant opinion was that Chisso Co. was
important for Minamata Area They didnt want the
closure nor the reduction of chemical
production.
Change of the discharge point Waste water
discharged from the Hyakkan port became a subject
of discussion, so Chisso Co. changed the
discharging point to dilute it his waste water
by sea water.
Spread of damage to Shiranui Sea water
New patients were detected in the wide area along
the shore of Shiranui Sea.
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Reason 3 The government put the priority on the
industry and economic growth
For high economic growth

• The Ministry of International Trade and Industry
  thought the restriction of chemical production
  by Chisso would bring the great effects on the
  chemical industry.

• The opposite campaign by famous professor
• Japan Chemical Industry Association asked
  famous professors and authorities to make the
  Minamata disease problems settled down by denying
  the concept of cause by organic mercury.

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Reason 4 Public opinion didnt support the
patients.
The mediate plan for compensation was agreed
between Minamata disease patients and Chisso
,1959.
The amount of money was little in compared with
the damage of living, but they were obliged to
accept a bad condition by fisherman.
Concern of mass communication
Mass communication reported that this
compensation agreement would solve Minamata
Disease problem.
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Change of the situation and the official
announcement
Another Methyl mercury disease was occurred by
discharged waste from a chemical factory of
Showa Denko Co. in Niigata Prefecture
September,1968.
The public opinion had changed to abate the
pollution, and asked its responsibility.
It took 12 years after the determination of
Minamata Disease by Kumamoto Pref., when Ministry
of Public Welfare formally announced to declaim
its real causes of Minamata Disease.
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The conclusion of the above reasons

• The lack of medical information on the Minamata
  Disease at the beginning
• Delays of the actions for countermeasures
• Misinformation for sick campaign

These became a main factor that caused the
patients increase and lag of relief.
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Legal certification, bad patient
Today, many patients have still been suffering by
Minamata disease. Compensation to them
Legally certificated patient are guaranteed with
A lump-sum payment of uniformly 2.6 million yen
per patient Recuperation costs every month Full
medical treatment costs, and etc
Non-legally certificated patient Only medical
treatment cost
If legally certificated patient increase ,Chisso
has to pay a great deal of compensation, then
Chisso may go out business. The judgment standard
on the legal certification as a patient is very
severe.
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Conclusion
The next year will be 50 years anniversary of the
Minamata Disease. But Minamata has been left
lots of problem.
Present issue The judgment standard on the legal
certification as a patient Responsibilities and
compensations by Chisso Co., Central and local
Governments. Rehabilitation of the community
between Chisso Co., citizens and patients
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No more Minamata DiseaseThe lesson from
Minamata disease.

• Not to out break of Minamata Disease again
  Japanese Government set a strict environmental
  standard.
• Organic mercury shouldnt be detected in our
  public water courses.

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Thank You !!