121
located on the Kyushu island about 1000 km west from Tokyo; thus it came to be
known as Minamata disease. Methylmercury damages specific parts of the central
nervous system in the brain, each part with its own function. Depending on which
functions become damaged, several types of symptoms appear: gait disturbance;
loss of balance (ataxia); speech disturbance (dysarthria); muscle weakness; muscle
cramps (disturbance of movement); decreased peripheral vision (constriction of
visual fields); hardness of hearing (hearing disturbance); disturbances of sense of
pain, touch or temperature (disturbance of sensation); and the inability to identify
the form, size, weight, and texture of objects (stereo anesthesia, disturbance of sensation) by touch. In addition, another type of Minamata disease, Congenital
Minamata Disease, is methylmercury poisoning of the fetus via the placenta caused
when the mother consumes contaminated seafood during pregnancy. Such infant
victims were born with a condition resembling infantile paralysis. (Minamata City
2007; George 2002; Harada 1995, 2004).
The methylmercury that caused Minamata disease was a product of a facility of
the Minamata plant of Chisso Corporation that manufactured acetaldehyde, a raw
material used in paint and plastic production. It was contained in the wastewater and
discharged into the sea. Chisso Corporation, one of Japan’s largest chemical companies at the time and still today, manufactured acetaldehyde at their plant in
Minamata City in the 1950s. Unfortunately, however, Chisso unconscionably discarded the methylmercury that caused Minamata disease into the seawater. As a
result, fish and shellfish in the sea became contaminated, and the people who ate
them subsequently developed Minamata disease.
6.2.2 Delayed action
Minamata disease was caused by industrial pollution more than 60 years ago.
However, even after official acknowledgement of the disease in 1956, Chisso
Corporation continued unconscionable manufacturing of acetaldehyde for 12 more
years. It was not until 1968 that the national government announced a consensus
that the disease had definitely been caused by the methylmercury generated by
Chisso Corporation.
During these 12 years, the spread of Minamata disease was left unabated. New
victims emerged, and all victims have continued suffering not only from the disease
itself but also from a social discrimination stigma. Several studies discussed why
12 years were required for proper action to be taken; but first, the rationale behind
the failure to prevent the spread of the disease is attributed to the major impact the
Chisso Minamata Plant had on the local economy. The major portion of local
taxes came from Chisso; and what is more, the mayor and many city council
members were former Chisso employees [UN Archives, 1992]. Also prevalent
were concerns that any actions taken against the company and its Minamata plant
would adversely affect Japan’s strong economic growth at the time.
The second point concerns how to deal with scientific uncertainty. In 1959, the
Minamata Disease Study Team of Kumamoto University’s Faculty of Medicine
6 Role in Framing in Sustainability Science ― The Case of Minamata Disease
located on the Kyushu island about 1000 km west from Tokyo; thus it came to be
known as Minamata disease. Methylmercury damages specific parts of the central
nervous system in the brain, each part with its own function. Depending on which
functions become damaged, several types of symptoms appear: gait disturbance;
loss of balance (ataxia); speech disturbance (dysarthria); muscle weakness; muscle
cramps (disturbance of movement); decreased peripheral vision (constriction of
visual fields); hardness of hearing (hearing disturbance); disturbances of sense of
pain, touch or temperature (disturbance of sensation); and the inability to identify
the form, size, weight, and texture of objects (stereo anesthesia, disturbance of sensation) by touch. In addition, another type of Minamata disease, Congenital
Minamata Disease, is methylmercury poisoning of the fetus via the placenta caused
when the mother consumes contaminated seafood during pregnancy. Such infant
victims were born with a condition resembling infantile paralysis. (Minamata City
2007; George 2002; Harada 1995, 2004).
The methylmercury that caused Minamata disease was a product of a facility of
the Minamata plant of Chisso Corporation that manufactured acetaldehyde, a raw
material used in paint and plastic production. It was contained in the wastewater and
discharged into the sea. Chisso Corporation, one of Japan’s largest chemical companies at the time and still today, manufactured acetaldehyde at their plant in
Minamata City in the 1950s. Unfortunately, however, Chisso unconscionably discarded the methylmercury that caused Minamata disease into the seawater. As a
result, fish and shellfish in the sea became contaminated, and the people who ate
them subsequently developed Minamata disease.
6.2.2 Delayed action
Minamata disease was caused by industrial pollution more than 60 years ago.
However, even after official acknowledgement of the disease in 1956, Chisso
Corporation continued unconscionable manufacturing of acetaldehyde for 12 more
years. It was not until 1968 that the national government announced a consensus
that the disease had definitely been caused by the methylmercury generated by
Chisso Corporation.
During these 12 years, the spread of Minamata disease was left unabated. New
victims emerged, and all victims have continued suffering not only from the disease
itself but also from a social discrimination stigma. Several studies discussed why
12 years were required for proper action to be taken; but first, the rationale behind
the failure to prevent the spread of the disease is attributed to the major impact the
Chisso Minamata Plant had on the local economy. The major portion of local
taxes came from Chisso; and what is more, the mayor and many city council
members were former Chisso employees [UN Archives, 1992]. Also prevalent
were concerns that any actions taken against the company and its Minamata plant
would adversely affect Japan’s strong economic growth at the time.
The second point concerns how to deal with scientific uncertainty. In 1959, the
Minamata Disease Study Team of Kumamoto University’s Faculty of Medicine
6 Role in Framing in Sustainability Science ― The Case of Minamata Disease