In July 1956, in a fishing village near the city of Minamata on Japan’s Shiranui Sea, a baby girl named Shinobu Sakamoto was born. Her parents soon realized something was wrong. At 3 months old, when healthy babies can hold up their heads, Sakamoto could not. She grew slowly and began crawling unusually late. At age 3 years, she drooled excessively and still couldn’t walk. Her parents sent her to live at a local hospital, where she spent four years in therapy to learn to walk, use her hands, and perform other basic functions. Early on, several physicians agreed on a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Yet there were signs that Sakamoto’s condition was part of something much bigger. A few years before her birth, dead fish and other sea creatures had begun appearing in Minamata Bay.
Read More: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/121/10/ehp.121-a304.pdf [2]
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/minamata-convention-mercury-first-step-toward-protecting-future-generations
[2] http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/121/10/ehp.121-a304.pdf
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/rebecca-kessler
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/environmental-health-perspectives
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mercury
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/health-effects
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/japan
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/genetic-disorders
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/industrial-pollution
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/fossil-fuels
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-change
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/food-contamination
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/india
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/china
[15] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/united-states-america-us
[16] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/thermal-power-plants
[17] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/gold
[18] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mining
[19] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/developing-countries