In 1955, an unusual disease broke out among the people living on the banks of Jinzu river in Japan called Itai Itai ( itai means "ouch'). It weakened bones to such an extent that even the stress of coughing could cause fractures. There were reports of reduced stature, bow-leggedness, and a duck-like gait in patients. In 1962, the Japanese government started investigating. It was found in 1968 that cadmium poisoning was to blame. Cadmium-rich effluents discharged by the Kamioka zinc mines upstream had contaminated rice fields. Though the mines had been operational since 1870, the impacts went unnoticed.

A similar situation exists in areas adjoining the Zawar mines in Rajasthan, India, where zinc, lead and cadmium are mined. Effluents are discharged into the nearby Tiri river. However, no epidemiological studies have been carried out in the area, and no effort made to check the heavy metal content in the crops or its effects on the health of the people living in the vicinity of the mine.