1. Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in 1956.
2. It was caused by the release of methyl mercury in the industrial waste water from the Chisso corporation’s chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968.
3. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in Minimata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which, when eaten by the local populace, resulted in mercury poisoning.
4. While cat, dog, pig and humans death continued for 36 years.
