Info center for Minamata disease opens in Kumamoto

Info center for Minamata disease opens in Kumamoto

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A mercury poisoning information center opens June 9 in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, the site of the country's worst outbreak of mercury poisoning. The center provides information on mercury poisoning and its prevention, featuring a database that will include clinical research data on the disease, toxicity of mercury and a display panel showing areas around the world contaminated by mercury.

PCB Contamination

Since the production of PCBs in 1954, 57,000 tons of PCBs have been produced, and Dr. Isono of Tokyo Metropolitan University has warned that it will affect the next generation. The cause was PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) used in the deodorization process of rice bran oil. Later, it was discovered that the real cause was dioxin, which was mixed in with PCBs to a very small extent. Until now, PCBs were said to be the cause of Kanemi's oil disease, but in fact, dibenzofuran, which is formed when PCBs are heated, is the real cause. 　 An interview with a patient on PCB testing An interview with Dr. Isono of Tokyo Metropolitan University on an experiment with chicks at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Hygiene Testing Department Footage of environmental destruction, *Filming date unknown, release date: June 16, 1972. .

10 years after Great East Japan Earthquake

10 years after Great East Japan Earthquake

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Feb. 14, 2021, shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crippled in the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, with tanks storing treated water containing low-toxicity radioactive tritium lined on the premises.

10 years after Great East Japan Earthquake

10 years after Great East Japan Earthquake

Combined photo shows (from R) the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, crippled by the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster. The top photo was taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on March 17, 2011, six days after the earthquake, and the bottom photo taken from a helicopter on Feb. 14, 2021, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, showing tanks storing water contaminated with low-toxicity radioactive tritium used to cool the reactors.

Taiwan warns about Fukushima water

Taiwan warns about Fukushima water

A Taiwanese environmental group stages a protest in Taipei on May 13, 2020, against a possible release of water that contains low-toxicity radioactive tritium into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima nuclear power plant crippled in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The group submitted a written statement to Japan the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Info center for Minamata disease opens in Kumamoto

Info center for Minamata disease opens in Kumamoto

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A mercury poisoning information center opens June 9 in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, the site of the country's worst outbreak of mercury poisoning. The center provides information on mercury poisoning and its prevention, featuring a database that will include clinical research data on the disease, toxicity of mercury and a display panel showing areas around the world contaminated by mercury.