Excerpt:
January 27, 2009
Mercury in high fructose corn syrup
Never a dull moment. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a think-tank in Minneapolis, tested brand-name foods made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and found about half of them to contain mercury. HFCS, it seems, is made by a process that involves lye, which in turn is made in chlorine – alkali plants by a method that uses mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, although not as bad a toxin as methymercury, the kind that accumulates in large, predatory fish. A scientific report published in Environmental Health says the amounts of mercury in HFCS ranged from 0.00 to 0.57 micrograms per gram. The IATP’s bottom line: the process for making HFCS should be changed to one that does not introduce mercury.
This seems like quite sensible advice, but how worried should we be about mercury in HFCS? I agree that mercury in any form is unlikely to be good, but I have no idea whether such low levels do measurable harm. For one thing, these studies did not compare the amounts of mercury found in HFCS to those typically found in foods that do not contain HFCS. My guess is that most foods contain low levels of mercury because mercury is prevalent in air, water, and soil, especially around coal-burning power plants. Also, soft drinks are the major sources of HFCS in American diets, but these were found to be relatively free of mercury. This is puzzling.
If anything, these studies are a call for more research on heavy metal toxicology. In the meantime, let’s lobby for changing this process for making HFCS, but even more so for cleaning up coal-burning power plants that supply 40% of mercury in our environment.
Update January 28: Food Production Daily has a good report on this, with quotes from the Corn Refiners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup
Excerpt:
Critics of the extensive use of HFCS in food sweetening argue that the highly processed substance is more harmful to humans than regular sugar, contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite functions, and that in some foods HFCS may be a source of mercury, a known neurotoxin.[7][8][9]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html
Excerpt:
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.
This seems like quite sensible advice, but how worried should we be about mercury in HFCS? I agree that mercury in any form is unlikely to be good, but I have no idea whether such low levels do measurable harm. For one thing, these studies did not compare the amounts of mercury found in HFCS to those typically found in foods that do not contain HFCS. My guess is that most foods contain low levels of mercury because mercury is prevalent in air, water, and soil, especially around coal-burning power plants. Also, soft drinks are the major sources of HFCS in American diets, but these were found to be relatively free of mercury. This is puzzling.
If anything, these studies are a call for more research on heavy metal toxicology. In the meantime, let’s lobby for changing this process for making HFCS, but even more so for cleaning up coal-burning power plants that supply 40% of mercury in our environment.
Update January 28: Food Production Daily has a good report on this, with quotes from the Corn Refiners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup
Excerpt:
Critics of the extensive use of HFCS in food sweetening argue that the highly processed substance is more harmful to humans than regular sugar, contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite functions, and that in some foods HFCS may be a source of mercury, a known neurotoxin.[7][8][9]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html
Excerpt:
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.
HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease
Excerpt:
Minamata disease (水俣病 Minamata-byō), sometimes referred to as Chisso-Minamata disease (チッソ水俣病 Chisso-Minamata-byō), 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 death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A congenital form of the disease can also affect fetuses 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 chemical bioaccumulated 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)[1] and over 10,000 had received financial compensation from Chisso.[2] By 2004, Chisso Corporation had paid $86 million in compensation, and in the same year was ordered to clean up its contamination.[3] On March 29, 2010, a settlement was reached to compensate as-yet uncertified victims.[4]
A second outbreak of Minamata disease occurred in Niigata Prefecture in 1965. Both the original Minamata disease and Niigata Minamata disease are considered two of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.
http://goneraw.com/forum/fda-coverup-30-high-fructose-corn-syrups-test-positive-mercury
Excerpt:
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease
Excerpt:
Minamata disease
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Minamata disease | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
 The crippled hand of a Minamata disease victim | |
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 chemical bioaccumulated 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)[1] and over 10,000 had received financial compensation from Chisso.[2] By 2004, Chisso Corporation had paid $86 million in compensation, and in the same year was ordered to clean up its contamination.[3] On March 29, 2010, a settlement was reached to compensate as-yet uncertified victims.[4]
A second outbreak of Minamata disease occurred in Niigata Prefecture in 1965. Both the original Minamata disease and Niigata Minamata disease are considered two of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.
http://goneraw.com/forum/fda-coverup-30-high-fructose-corn-syrups-test-positive-mercury
Excerpt:
January 28, 2009 - 9:18pm
Huffington Post - Leslie Hatfield, Posted January 27, 2009 | 01:47 PM (EST)
Our Melamine: There's Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup, and the FDA Has Known for Years
Our Melamine: There's Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup, and the FDA Has Known for Years
Maybe Jeremy Piven didn't get mercury poisoning from fish at all -- according to the results of a new study released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trace Policy (IATP), the actor may well have been sickened by soda or candy or anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, which, if you eat processed food in this country means, well, just about anything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Piven
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/18/jeremy-piven-quits-broadw_n_151987.html
Excerpt:
UPDATED: Jeremy Piven Quits Broadway, "Extreme Mercury Toxicity"
***Alarming update from Piven's doctor below about his high mercury toxicity, the symptoms and the possible causes***
From Variety:
"Entertainment Tonight" talked to Piven's doctor and will report on air:
http://www.everythingy.com/blog/jeremy-piven-cleared-in-sushi-gate-scandal
Excerpt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Piven
| Jeremy Piven | |
|---|---|
 Jeremy Piven on February 23, 2009. | |
| Born | Jeremy Samuel Piven July 26, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor Producer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/18/jeremy-piven-quits-broadw_n_151987.html
Excerpt:
UPDATED: Jeremy Piven Quits Broadway, "Extreme Mercury Toxicity"
Variety, ET | December 18, 2008 02:49 PM
***Alarming update from Piven's doctor below about his high mercury toxicity, the symptoms and the possible causes***
From Variety:
Jeremy Piven will abruptly end his run in Broadway's "Speed-the-Plow," after missing Tuesday evening's performance and a Wednesday matinee.
Piven has informed the producers that he hasn't been feeling well and that the condition is attributable to a high mercury count.
The show's producers weren't returning calls, but Daily Variety reached out to David Mamet, who wrote the showbiz satire and seemed skeptical of the reasons for Piven's departure.
More than one option
"I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury," Mamet said. "So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."
"Entertainment Tonight" talked to Piven's doctor and will report on air:
Dr. Carlon Colker, a doctor who has been treating the SAG award nominee and Emmy award-winner, tells ET that Jeremy is disappointed that members of the production staff of 'Speed-the-Plow' and other members of the entertainment community have not rallied behind him during this health crisis.
The doctor says that Jeremy is suffering from extreme mercury toxicity. Colker tells ET that a major symptom of mercury poisoning is extreme fatigue. In addition, Jeremy began experiencing neuro-muscular dysfunction late last week, which led to extreme difficulty in lifting his arms and legs. Then, this past Sunday, he began feeling dizzy. Now, the doctors have ordered enforced rest. Jeremy spent three days in the hospital recently and the doctor tells us exclusively that he is no longer in New York.
Colker tells ET that Jeremy has been an avid sushi eater for many years, regularly eating sushi twice in one day. He notes that Jeremy has also taken certain Chinese herbs, and that, in combination with the frequent sushi consumption, could have led to these elevated mercury levels. He informs us that a test revealed that Jeremy had the highest level of mercury that he has ever seen, which amounts to six times a healthy amount of mercury, in his system.
http://www.everythingy.com/blog/jeremy-piven-cleared-in-sushi-gate-scandal
Excerpt:
Jeremy Piven cleared in ‘Sushi-gate’ scandal
Entourage star Jeremy Piven spoke of his joy yesterday as he was cleared of dumping a Broadway show in a scandal dubbed ‘Sushi-gate’.
Piven quit Speed-the-Plow 11 weeks before his run was due to end, blaming illness from high levels of mercury from eating too much sushi.
But play bosses never bought his story and, amid numerous mocking headlines about the star, went to the Actors’ Equity union accusing him of breaching his contract.
But now an arbitrator has ruled that Piven did not breach his contract.
Piven said: “I’m pleased with the outcome of the arbitration and to be completely vindicated in this matter, based on the facts and the medical evidence.”
Speed-the-Plow producers said: “While we respect the decision, we strongly disagree with it.
“We remain eternally grateful to everyone who helped make the wonderful production of ‘Speed- the-Plow’ possible, especially the artists who created it, and the many who had to deal with very difficult and trying circumstances.”
Piven, 44, sped away from “Speed-the-Plow” in December - saying he was exhausted.
Although he blamed high levels of mercury, sceptics suggested his penchant for staying out late at night in New York more likely caused his fatigue.
His departure tanked ticket sales and left angry producers scrambling for a replacement.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/jeremy-piven-speaks-about-speed-the-plow-and-sushi-gate/
Excerpt:
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Jeremy Piven with Raúl Esparza in a scene from “Speed-the-Plow” in 2008.Update | 8:32 p.m. Piven’s Exit From Play Won’t Draw Penalties
At a closed-door hearing of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Broadway League on Thursday, Jeremy Piven convinced a group of fellow actors that he did not violate his contractual obligations when he dropped out of the Broadway play “Speed-the-Plow” in December, thereby avoiding potential penalties for a high-profile departure that he attributed to mercury poisoning.
In an interview at The Times’s offices after the hearing, Mr. Piven, the Emmy-winning star of HBO’s “Entourage,” twice broke down in tears as he described a health scare that he said made him exhausted and disoriented during some performances of the play and ultimately left him fearing for his life.
With a publicist seated next to him, Mr. Piven at one point cited the Obama administration’s warning about mercury pollution as a grave threat, and at another point quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – “no lie can last forever” — in expressing confidence that his reputation would survive the attack from the producers.
Mr. Piven said that he had been “incredibly sick” since the second week of rehearsals, adding that he would nod off at times during the preparations and sometimes take a nap on a couch. Medical tests early on revealed very high levels of mercury in his blood — potentially toxic, according to his doctors — a finding Mr. Piven attributed in the interview to eating fish twice a day for 20 years. He dismissed news reports that blamed his condition on overeating sushi.
“The biggest misconception was that this all came out of the blue in December and that I came down with this ‘sushi-gate’ stuff,” Mr. Piven said. “It’s not sushi, it’s from eating fish for 20 years and not understanding the mercury threat.”
Through rehearsals and early performances, the show, including Mr. Piven’s performance as Bobby Gould, received strong critical praise. Mr. Piven said he powered through the illness. Rather than exhausting himself from partying, as has been suggested, Mr. Piven said that he went straight home from the theater almost every night and that he would stay in bed starting Sunday evenings — that is, after the matinee — until the next show on Tuesday evenings.
“At times I was incapable of getting enough oxygen to get my lines out on stage, and sometimes I’d forget where I was in the play,” Mr. Piven said. “This misconception that I was out partying was wrong. My problem was that as soon as I woke up, I wanted to figure out a way to get back into bed.”
During the interview, tears fell to his cheeks as he described the stress of fearing for his health while pushing himself to continue with the play. “I’ve never missed a day’s work or a rehearsal in my life,” Mr. Piven said. “I think there’s a reason you’ve never heard of any problem like this before.” His eyes also misted up as he said that he hoped his professional reputation would survive this episode.
“I just have a lot of faith,” he said.
Asked whether he believed he would ever be hired to work on Broadway again, Mr. Piven said he hoped so.
“This is the holy grail for any actor,” he said. “I kind of can’t wait to do it again. And I hope to.”
http://www1.umn.edu/ships/ethics/minamata.htm
Excerpt:
by Douglas Allchin
It started out quite simply, with the strangeness of cats "dancing" in the street--and sometimes collapsing and dying. Who would have known, in a modest Japanese fishing village in the 1950s, that when friends or family members occasionally shouted uncontrollably, slurred their speech, or dropped their chopsticks at dinner, that one was witnessing the subtle early symptoms of a debilitating nervous condition caused by ingesting mercury? Yet when such scattered, apparently unconnected, and mildly mysterious events began to haunt the town of Minamata, Japan, they were the first signs of one of the most dramatic and emotionally moving cases of industrial pollution in history.
The outcome was tragic: a whole town was both literally and figuratively poisoned. Yet for those of us, now, who can view it more distantly, this episode also offers a conceptually clear and affectively powerful example of the concentration of elements in food chains, the sometimes unexpected interconnectedness of humans and their environment, and the complex interactions of biology and culture. In short, it is a paradigm for teaching ecology and science-society issues.
The case of Minamata, Japan, and the mercury poisoning (originally called Minamata disease) that took place there, appeared briefly in news headlines in the 1970s and then receded from public attention--at least in the U.S. The episode was fully and richly documented, however, by former Life photographer, Eugene Smith, and his wife, Aileen, who lived in Minamata for several years. Much of what follows draws on their book (unfortunately, now out-of-print, but available in many libraries; see Smith and Smith 1972, 1975; Ishimure 1990).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisso
Excerpt:
The Chisso Corporation (チッソ株式会社 Chisso kabushiki kaisha) is a Japanese chemical company. It is particularly well known as a supplier of liquid crystal used for LCD displays.
Chisso is also known for its thirty-four year long contamination of the water supply in Minamata, Japan that led to thousands of deaths and victims of disease. Between 1932 and 1968, Chisso's chemical factory in Minamata released large quantities of industrial wastewater that was contaminated with highly toxic methylmercury.[1] This poison water bioaccumulated in local sea life that was then consumed by the immediate population. As a result of this contamination, 2,265 individuals in the area were inflicted with what is now known as Minamata disease. 1,784 of those victims died as a result of the poisoning and/or the disease.[2] Those who were afflicted with the disease developed skeletomuscular deformities and lost the ability to perform motor functions such as walking. Many also lost significant amounts of vision, as well as hearing and speech capabilities. Severe cases presented with insanity, paralysis, coma and then death within weeks of the onset of symptoms.
As of March 2001, over 10,000 individuals had received financial remuneration from Chisso to compensate them for the harm caused by the chemical release.[3] By 2004, Chisso Corporation had paid $86 million in compensation, and, in the same year, the company was ordered to clean up its contamination.[4] However, the incident remains controversial for not only the poisoning itself but also for its tactics that company used to suppress the negative aftermath.[5]
http://www.inhousecommunity.com/article.php?id=GKJJJDD-IITTTTD-DDD666N-NNIIIIV
Piven quit Speed-the-Plow 11 weeks before his run was due to end, blaming illness from high levels of mercury from eating too much sushi.
But play bosses never bought his story and, amid numerous mocking headlines about the star, went to the Actors’ Equity union accusing him of breaching his contract.
But now an arbitrator has ruled that Piven did not breach his contract.
Piven said: “I’m pleased with the outcome of the arbitration and to be completely vindicated in this matter, based on the facts and the medical evidence.”
Speed-the-Plow producers said: “While we respect the decision, we strongly disagree with it.
“We remain eternally grateful to everyone who helped make the wonderful production of ‘Speed- the-Plow’ possible, especially the artists who created it, and the many who had to deal with very difficult and trying circumstances.”
Piven, 44, sped away from “Speed-the-Plow” in December - saying he was exhausted.
Although he blamed high levels of mercury, sceptics suggested his penchant for staying out late at night in New York more likely caused his fatigue.
His departure tanked ticket sales and left angry producers scrambling for a replacement.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/jeremy-piven-speaks-about-speed-the-plow-and-sushi-gate/
Excerpt:
Jeremy Piven Speaks Out About ‘Speed-the-Plow’ and ‘Sushi-Gate’
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Jeremy Piven with Raúl Esparza in a scene from “Speed-the-Plow” in 2008.At a closed-door hearing of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Broadway League on Thursday, Jeremy Piven convinced a group of fellow actors that he did not violate his contractual obligations when he dropped out of the Broadway play “Speed-the-Plow” in December, thereby avoiding potential penalties for a high-profile departure that he attributed to mercury poisoning.
In an interview at The Times’s offices after the hearing, Mr. Piven, the Emmy-winning star of HBO’s “Entourage,” twice broke down in tears as he described a health scare that he said made him exhausted and disoriented during some performances of the play and ultimately left him fearing for his life.
With a publicist seated next to him, Mr. Piven at one point cited the Obama administration’s warning about mercury pollution as a grave threat, and at another point quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – “no lie can last forever” — in expressing confidence that his reputation would survive the attack from the producers.
Mr. Piven said that he had been “incredibly sick” since the second week of rehearsals, adding that he would nod off at times during the preparations and sometimes take a nap on a couch. Medical tests early on revealed very high levels of mercury in his blood — potentially toxic, according to his doctors — a finding Mr. Piven attributed in the interview to eating fish twice a day for 20 years. He dismissed news reports that blamed his condition on overeating sushi.
“The biggest misconception was that this all came out of the blue in December and that I came down with this ‘sushi-gate’ stuff,” Mr. Piven said. “It’s not sushi, it’s from eating fish for 20 years and not understanding the mercury threat.”
Through rehearsals and early performances, the show, including Mr. Piven’s performance as Bobby Gould, received strong critical praise. Mr. Piven said he powered through the illness. Rather than exhausting himself from partying, as has been suggested, Mr. Piven said that he went straight home from the theater almost every night and that he would stay in bed starting Sunday evenings — that is, after the matinee — until the next show on Tuesday evenings.
“At times I was incapable of getting enough oxygen to get my lines out on stage, and sometimes I’d forget where I was in the play,” Mr. Piven said. “This misconception that I was out partying was wrong. My problem was that as soon as I woke up, I wanted to figure out a way to get back into bed.”
During the interview, tears fell to his cheeks as he described the stress of fearing for his health while pushing himself to continue with the play. “I’ve never missed a day’s work or a rehearsal in my life,” Mr. Piven said. “I think there’s a reason you’ve never heard of any problem like this before.” His eyes also misted up as he said that he hoped his professional reputation would survive this episode.
“I just have a lot of faith,” he said.
Asked whether he believed he would ever be hired to work on Broadway again, Mr. Piven said he hoped so.
“This is the holy grail for any actor,” he said. “I kind of can’t wait to do it again. And I hope to.”
http://www1.umn.edu/ships/ethics/minamata.htm
Excerpt:
The Poisoning of Minamata
by Douglas Allchin
It started out quite simply, with the strangeness of cats "dancing" in the street--and sometimes collapsing and dying. Who would have known, in a modest Japanese fishing village in the 1950s, that when friends or family members occasionally shouted uncontrollably, slurred their speech, or dropped their chopsticks at dinner, that one was witnessing the subtle early symptoms of a debilitating nervous condition caused by ingesting mercury? Yet when such scattered, apparently unconnected, and mildly mysterious events began to haunt the town of Minamata, Japan, they were the first signs of one of the most dramatic and emotionally moving cases of industrial pollution in history.
The outcome was tragic: a whole town was both literally and figuratively poisoned. Yet for those of us, now, who can view it more distantly, this episode also offers a conceptually clear and affectively powerful example of the concentration of elements in food chains, the sometimes unexpected interconnectedness of humans and their environment, and the complex interactions of biology and culture. In short, it is a paradigm for teaching ecology and science-society issues.
The case of Minamata, Japan, and the mercury poisoning (originally called Minamata disease) that took place there, appeared briefly in news headlines in the 1970s and then receded from public attention--at least in the U.S. The episode was fully and richly documented, however, by former Life photographer, Eugene Smith, and his wife, Aileen, who lived in Minamata for several years. Much of what follows draws on their book (unfortunately, now out-of-print, but available in many libraries; see Smith and Smith 1972, 1975; Ishimure 1990).
The Episode
Minamata is located on the Western coast of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island (see map). Its disturbing story begins, perhaps, in the 1930s, as the town was continuing to shed its heritage as a poor fishing and farming village. In 1932 the Chisso Corporation, an integral part of the local economy since 1907, began to manufacture acetaldehyde, used to produce plastics. As we know now, mercury from the production process began to spill into the bay. Though no one knew until decades later, the heavy metal became incorporated into methyl mercury chloride: an organic form that could enter the food chain. At the time, Minamata residents relied almost exclusively on fish and shellfish from the bay as a source of protein. For us, today, the threat of pollution is immediately evident. But one must not fail to appreciate the historical context in which neither scientific experience nor a pervasive environmental awareness could offer such an explicit warning.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisso
Excerpt:
Chisso
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chisso is also known for its thirty-four year long contamination of the water supply in Minamata, Japan that led to thousands of deaths and victims of disease. Between 1932 and 1968, Chisso's chemical factory in Minamata released large quantities of industrial wastewater that was contaminated with highly toxic methylmercury.[1] This poison water bioaccumulated in local sea life that was then consumed by the immediate population. As a result of this contamination, 2,265 individuals in the area were inflicted with what is now known as Minamata disease. 1,784 of those victims died as a result of the poisoning and/or the disease.[2] Those who were afflicted with the disease developed skeletomuscular deformities and lost the ability to perform motor functions such as walking. Many also lost significant amounts of vision, as well as hearing and speech capabilities. Severe cases presented with insanity, paralysis, coma and then death within weeks of the onset of symptoms.
As of March 2001, over 10,000 individuals had received financial remuneration from Chisso to compensate them for the harm caused by the chemical release.[3] By 2004, Chisso Corporation had paid $86 million in compensation, and, in the same year, the company was ordered to clean up its contamination.[4] However, the incident remains controversial for not only the poisoning itself but also for its tactics that company used to suppress the negative aftermath.[5]
http://www.inhousecommunity.com/article.php?id=GKJJJDD-IITTTTD-DDD666N-NNIIIIV
