Minamata disease, a malignant flood that harms human beings in the environment, is a scientific encyclopedia.

/kloc-During the 1950s, strange things such as the inexplicable death of fish and sh

Minamata disease, a malignant flood that harms human beings in the environment, is a scientific encyclopedia.

/kloc-During the 1950s, strange things such as the inexplicable death of fish and shellfish and the stagnation of algae began to appear in Minamata Bay and the Eighth Generation Sea along the coast of Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.

Not only that, there are many cats in Minamata. They wriggled upside down, ran for no reason, and even jumped into the sea collectively. Local residents call it "cat chorea".

Over time, not only cats were infected with "strange diseases", but also animals such as dogs and pigs began to behave abnormally. Gradually, these symptoms also appear in humans. Residents in Minamata became blind and distorted, and even a newborn baby was infected with this strange disease. ...

What is the terrible truth that destroys ecology and human life? It turned out to be "bad water" discharged by suffocated plants at will.

1959, the survey results of Kumamoto University's research team pointed the finger at Toshio Factory in Minamata City.

Starting from 1932, the factory adopted a new process, in which "mercury" was used as a catalyst in the acetaldehyde process, and the organic mercury by-product produced in it was directly discharged into the sea without treatment.

In Japanese, "suffocating element" means nitrogen. The picture shows the discharge path of mechanical wastewater in Tunyuan Plant. Wikimedia, a mercury-containing water resource, accumulates in organisms through the food chain, and local animals and residents eat mercury-containing fish and shellfish, causing irreparable harm.

This strange disease was later officially named "Minamata disease".

The sewage plant strongly denied the photo evidence, and the residents all over the world were shocked and kept in the dark, so they could only continue to fight with their remaining strength.

Even though Kumamoto University's report pointed directly at the factory in Tunsu, the factory repeatedly denied that it was very negative in the face of resistance from local residents, and even continued to discharge pollutants in an attempt to cover up the truth.

It was not until1970s that photographer Eugene Smith published a series of special photos of Minamata Disease, which gradually attracted international attention. One of the photos of "Naoko taking a bath" shocked the world even more!

Memorial sculpture in front of Minamata Museum. Wikimedia's struggle for justice for victims of Minamata disease is still going on. The biggest mercury poisoning in human history is not over yet.

Because of this large-scale mercury poisoning incident, the world has a further understanding and vigilance against the toxicity of mercury. In 20 13, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) held a conference on mercury in Minamata City and signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The contents of the Convention stipulate the supply and trade sources of mercury, the import and export of mercury-containing products, the disposal of mercury-containing wastes and how to deal with contaminated sites.

Even after the conclusion of the mercury convention, the residents in Minamata area are still not freed from the incident, and they still can't get the compensation they deserve, and they continue to file a lawsuit against the Tunsu factory. ...