Tag Archives: Minamata Kumamoto

THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: MINAMATA DISEASE OFFICIALLY DISCOVERED IN JAPAN (1956)


Minamata Disease Officially Discovered in Japan (1956)

Minamata disease is a degenerative neurological disorder characterized by a loss of coordination and peripheral vision, poor articulation of speech, and numbness of the extremities. It was first encountered in 1956, when numerous cases of the then-unknown disease were observed in Minamata, Japan. Investigations showed that the consumption of seafood contaminated by a local chemical factory‘s mercury-laden wastewater caused the disorder. What brought more attention to the disease in 1965? More…

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