Minamata - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 37
About This Presentation
Title:

Minamata

Description:

Other uses include batteries, pesticides, fungicides, dyes and pigments, and the ... New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:7701
Avg rating:5.0/5.0
Slides: 38
Provided by: Laur279
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Minamata


1
Minamata
  • By Laurie Brier, Benny DeShazer, Miranda Holmes,
    and Matthew Shelnutt.

2
The Town of Minamata
  • Located on the coast of the Yatsushiro Sea in
    southwestern Japan.
  • The village was very poor.
  • Mostly fishermen and farmers.
  • Villagers welcome Chisso Corporation

http//www.jnto.go.jp/tourism/img/map/86.gif
3
Chisso Corporation
  • Chisso nitrogen
  • Produced fertilizer
  • 1907 Chisso Corp. builds a fertilizer plant in
    the Minamata.
  • Job openings
  • 1925 plant begins dumping untreated wastewater
    into Minamata Bay
  • Kills fish
  • Fisherman Payoffs

http//www.japanfocus.org/images/592-3.jpg
4
Chisso Corporation
  • 1932 Chisso plant begins to produce acetaldehyde
    to be used in the production of plastic, perfume
    and drugs.
  • Acetaldehyde is made from acetylene and water
    with a mercury catalyst.
  • After WWII plastic production boomed and Chisso
    Corp. grew.
  • By 1970 Chisso brought Japan 60 of its income
    and owned nearly 70 of the land in Minamata.

http//www-personal.umich.edu/tobin/Smith2.jpg
5
Bizarre Behavior in Animals
  • Early 1950s
  • Dead fish wash ashore
  • Crows fall out of sky
  • Suicidal dancing cats
  • Mercury moves up the food chain.

http//flickr.com/photos/tropicalrips/127535537/
6
Mid 1950s Behavior Seen in Humans
  • Behaviors witnessed
  • Loss of motor control in hands
  • Violent tremors
  • Swaggered walk
  • Insanity
  • Cat-dancing disease
  • Nobody knew the cause of the epidemic.
  • Many hid for fear of ridicule

http//www.hamline.edu/personal/amurphy01/es110/es
website/ProjectsSpring03/ebarker/Minamata20Web20
Page.htm
7
Putting the Pieces Together
  • 1956 Researchers at Chisso Corp. Hospital
    experiment on cats with wastewater from the
    Chisso plant.
  • They warn Chisso corp.
  • Chisso corp. redirects the flow of wastewater to
    avoid being caught.
  • A larger geographical area contaminated.
  • Children born with horrifying deformities.

http//www.nimd.go.jp/archives/english/tenji/a_cor
ner/image/hasseimap.gif
8
Putting the Pieces Together
  • 1968 Government ran Public Health service traces
    the contamination to the Minamata Chisso plant.
  • Government halts the production of acetaldehyde
  • 1972 Government publically announces Chisso
    Corps part in the Minamata epidemic and orders
    Chisso Corp to pay compensation to the families
    that were affected.

http//www.icett.or.jp/lpca_jp.nsf/505b1fe895fd2a8
c492567ca000d587d/e35dc782654b21d7492567ca000d8c50
?OpenDocument
9
The Aftermath
  • 30-70 tons of methyl mercury was dumped into the
    Bay
  • 10,000 people affected by Minamata disease.
  • 3,000 died
  • Compensation has been given to families as
    recently as 1990.
  • Highest compensation for the disaster was just
    under 3,000.

http//www.physorg.com/news110359851.html
10
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11
Methylmercury In the Body
  • Methylmercury exposure in humans is from
    consumption of fish, marine mammals, and
    crustaceans
  • 95 of fish-derived methylmercury is absorbed
    into the gastrointestinal tract and distributed
    throughout the body
  • Highest in concentration in hair

www.mercury.utah.gov/images/health_effects.jpg
12
Minamata Disease in the Nervous System
  • Areas in red show areas typically affected by the
    presence of methylmercury in the system . The
    lesions show characteristic signs and symptoms in
    Minamata disease.
  • 1. Gait disturbance, loss of balance (ataxia),
    speech disturbance (Dysarthria)
  • 2. Sight disturbance of peripheral areas in the
    visual fields (constriction of visual fields)
  • 3. Stereo anesthesia (Disturbance of sensation)
  • 4. Muscle weakness, muscle cramp (disturbance of
    movement)
  • 5. Hardness of hearing (hearing disturbance)
  • 6. Disturbance of sense of pain, touch or
    temperature (Disturbance of sensation)

National institute of Minamata Disease Archives
13
Symptoms of the Disease
  • Mild
  • Ataxia
  • Muscle weakness
  • Narrowed field of vision
  • Hearing and speech damage
  • Severe cases cause
  • Insanity
  • Paralysis
  • Coma
  • Death

W. Eugene SmithTomoko Uemura in Her
BathMinamata, 1972
14
More Symptoms
  • A significant effect of Minamata is the onset of
    symptoms similar to those of cerebral palsy
  • Fetal Minamata Disease
  • A pregnant mother ingests toxic fish and the
    methylmercury concetrates inside the placenta.
  • Harms the fetus while the mother is relatively
    unaffected

http//picasaweb.google.com/jazzyv0504/SAKURA5065
603192708172658
15
These are all children with congenital (fetal)
Minamata Disease due to intrauterine methyl
mercury poisoning (Harda 1986).
16
Mercury The Basics
  • Mercury (Hg) is the only metal that is liquid at
    room temperature. It melts at -38.9oC and
    boils at 356.6oC.
  • Mercury conducts electricity, expands uniformly
    with temperature and easily forms alloys with
    other metals (called amalgams).
  • For these reasons, it is used in many products
    found in homes and schools.

17
Mercury Chemistry
  • Mercury exists in three oxidation states
  • Hg0 (elemental mercury).
  • Hg22 (mercurous).
  • Hg2 (mercuric).
  • Mercurous and mercuric form numerous inorganic
    and organic chemical compounds.
  • Organic forms of mercury, especially methyl
    mercury, CH3Hg(II)X, where X is a ligand
    (typically Cl- or OH-) are the most toxic forms.

18
Uses of Mercury
  • We use its unique properties to conduct
    electricity, measure temperature and pressure,
    act as a biocide, preservative and disinfectant
    and catalyze reactions.
  • It is the use of mercury in catalysis that
    contributed to the events in Minamata.
  • Other uses include batteries, pesticides,
    fungicides, dyes and pigments, and the scientific
    apparati.

19
Mercury in the Environment
  • Upwards of 70 of the mercury in the environment
    comes from anthropogenic sources, including
  • Metal processing, waste incineration, and
    coal-powered plants.
  • Natural sources include volcanoes, natural
    mercury deposits, and volatilization from the
    ocean.
  • Estimates are that human sources have nearly
    doubled or tripled the amount of mercury in the
    atmosphere.

20
(No Transcript)
21
The Aquatic Mercury Cycle
22
(No Transcript)
23
Cleaning up
  • The Minamata Spill
  • Dredging
  • Other ways of cleaning mercury spill
  • United States
  • Experimental ways
  • Ongoing Research

24
Minamata Cleanup
  • Whats is Dredging?
  • Underwater excavation

25
Minamata Cleanup
  • Dredging
  • Types
  • Mechanical
  • Hydraulic
  • Airlift

Hydraulic
Mechanical
Airlift
26
Minamata Cleanup
  • Disposal of Sediment
  • Landfills
  • Disposal facility
  • Ocean placement
  • Confined Disposal Facilities (CDFs)

Recycling
Separation
27
(No Transcript)
28
U.S. Mercury Cleanups
  • Precipitation/ Co precipitation
  • Absorption treatment
  • Membrane Filtration
  • Biological treatment

29
Other ways of Clean Up
  • Capping of Mercury contaminated Sediments w/
    sand
  • Inhibition of Mercury Methylation by Iron
    Sulfides
  • Immobilization of Aqueous Hg (II) by Iron Sulfides

30
Experimental Research
  • Nanotechnology
  • Phytoremediation
  • Air Stripping
  • In Situ Thermal Desorption (ISTD)

31
Minamata Bay Today
  • Eco Park of Minamata Bay has 2 purposes
  • A stone memorial
  • Landfill for Mercury

32
Questions???
33
References
  • Allchin, Douglas. "The Poisoning of Minamata."
    SHiPS. 22 Nov 2008 lthttp//www1.umn.edu/ships/ethi
    cs/minamata.htmgt.
  • "Minamata disaster far from over." 30 Sept 2007.
    CNN. 22 Nov 2008 lthttp//www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/as
    iapcf/09/30/japan.eco disaster.ap/index.htmlgt.
  • "Minamata, Japan ." Mercury Technology Services.
    22 Nov 2008 lthttp//www.hgtech.com/Information/Min
    amata_Japan.htmlgt.
  • "Minamata The unfolding mercury disaster."
    Corrosion Doctors. 22 Nov 2008 lthttp//corrosion-d
    octors.org/Elements- Toxic/Minamata-1.htmgt.
  • "Outline of Minamata Disease 1. Cause and Damage
    of Minamata Disease." Minamata Disease Archives.
    National Institute for Minamata Disease . 22 Nov
    2008 lthttp//www.nimd.go.jp/archives/english/tenji
    /a_corner/a01.htmlgt.
  • Thorpe, Thomas. A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry
    . revised. London, England Longmans, Greens and
    Co., 1921.

34
References
  • Rice, Glenn and Ambrose, Robert and Bullock, O.
    and Stwartout, Jeff. "Fate and Transport of
    Mercury in the Environment." Mercury Study Report
    to Congress 3December 1997 1-376. 22 Nov 2008.
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency,
    "EPA's Roadmap for Mercury." U.S. EPA. July 2006.
    U.S. EPA. 22 Nov 2008 lthttp//www.epa.gov/mercury/
    roadmap/htmgt.
  • Moller, Greg. "Environmental Toxicology of
    Mercury." 2004. University of Idaho. 22 Nov 2008
    lthttp//www.agls.uidaho.edu/etox/lectures/lecture_
    socrates/2004/Socrates_Hg.pdfgt.
  • Childress, Amy. "Bioaccumulation of Mercury." Why
    do I need to worry about mercury?. 2002. Purdue
    University. 22 Nov 2008 lthttp//cobweb.ecn.purdue.
    edu/epados/mercbuild/src/bioac.htmgt.
  • King, Susy. "Mercury in the Environment." Water
    Quality - Mercury. 2008. New England Interstate
    Water Pollution Control Commission. 22 Nov 2008
    ltwww.neiwpcc.org/mercury/environment.aspgt.
  • Unknown, "Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the
    Everglades." SOFIA. September 2008. United States
    Geological Society. 22 Nov 2008
    lthttp//sofia.usgs.gov/projects/index.php?project_
    urlevergl_mercgt.

35
References
  • What is Dredging? 12 Jun. 2007
    http//education.usace.army.mil/navigation/dredgin
    g.html
  • Jianrong, Liu. Mercury Transport Through a
    Capped Sediment (2008) 4-169.
  • U.S. EPA Technology Innovation Program Treatment
    technologies For Mercury in Soil, Waste and
    Water 20 Aug. 2007 11-129.
  • Coastal Eustuarine Geology Dredged Sediment
    Studies 07, Jan. 2005 http//www.mgs.md.gov/coasta
    l/dredge/gifs/hydraul3.gif
  • USACE Education Navigation Lesson 6 Dredging
    Level 1 http//education.usace.army.mil/navigation
    /lessons/6/dredgels6lv1.html
  • WDNR Lower Fox river Deposit N Removal
    Project http//www.dnr.stat.wi.us/org/water/wm/Fox
    river/images/depnproc.gif
  • "Blood and Hair Mercury Levels in Young Children
    and Women of Childbearing Age --- United States,
    1999 ". Centers for Disease Control and
    Prevention . 11/23/2008 lthttp//www.cdc.gov/mmwr/p
    review/mmwrhtml/mm5008a2.htmgt.

36
References
  • Minamata at 50The tragedy deepens
  • http//japanfocus.org/products/topdf/1994

37
The End
  • Thank you!!
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com