Bibliographical Study of Minamata Disease

Abstract

In 1958, Minamata Disease was suggested to be organic mercury compounds intoxication. This suggestion was based on Hunter and Russel's report³⁾ on occupational exposure to methylmercury. This report is known to have established the typical symptoms of methyl mercury intoxication. However, it has been widely believed since the official recognition of Minamata Disease (1956) that, at the moment of outbreak, no reports were available on organic mercury formation from inorganic mercury in acetaldehyde production from acetylene, or on organic mercury intoxication among workers in acetaldehyde production from acetylene. However, this was not the case.
The formation of organic mercury from inorganic mercury used as a catalyst was reported by Vogt and Nieuwland¹²⁾ in 1921. In 1930, Zangger reported several cases of organic mercury intoxication among workers in acetaldehyde production from acetylene. Soon after, Koelsch⁷⁾ reported that the cases were methyl-and/or ethylmercury intoxication, and that such cases had been common since 1916. These reports^{6, 7, 12)} were already available at the time of the Minamata Disease outbreak.
However, Zangger's report⁶⁾, the most important of these three was not referred to until 1987, notwithstanding its listing in the references of Kurland et al.⁸⁾. Zangger's report⁶⁾ was not referred to not by investigators, but by a lawyer. If these reports^{6, 7, 12)} had been referred to at the outbreak of Minamata Disease, the number of victims in Minamata would have been minimized, and Minamata Disease in Niigata would have been prevented.