Minamta disease. What Mercury really does in lieu of assburgers

[P7PSP]

A company called Chisso in Japan started producing acetaldehyde in 1932. Somehow methyl mercury was a byproduct of the process and the scheming shitheads in charge of the company elected to dump the Methyl Mercury into Minamata Bay where it contaminated the sea life that was a staple of many peoples diets in the region. The resulting disease was horrifying in its effects on the local population and the Chisso company executives continued callous disregard for the people and the sealife in the Bay makes them worthy canidates for hanging IMO.
Here is a link to the quick and dirty details. I learned this shit in 9th grade (73-74 school year) and never forgot it.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease So what do you folks think of the callous psychopaths who did this to their fellow citizens?

[Celticgoddess]

wait...so even though there were two huge outbreaks of the disease, they weren't ordered to clean up their pollution until 2004? That's insane!!!

[earthboundmisfit]

That shit happens all the time. Pisses me off.


http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/lovecanal/01.htm

[Adam]

its like with that 3-eyed fish in the simpsons

['andersom']

Reading about this makes me sick.

[P7PSP]

It makes me mad enough to feel like killing someone. There must have been masssive corruption to cover Chisso's ass that long.

[Celticgoddess]

There always is when a corporation gets that big and has enough government people in their back pocket.

[P7PSP]

Here it is in the form of backloaded Honoraria speaking fees after they leave office. That way it's not a bribe. 

[Parts]

In Ct we have a very old industrial base and pay for it with all kinds of contamination.  Danbury was hat city and has lots of mercury problems here we has Raybestos and massive asbestos contamination in the fill the company gave away for free.  The site of the plant was a Superfund project and once it was capped they built a Walmart and Home Depot on top of it

[P7PSP]

Warren Zevon died of Mesothelioma. RIP to a great talent.

[Callaway]

"...Chisso had great influence in Minamata. At one point over half of the tax revenue of Minamata City authority came from Chisso and its employees, and the company and its subsidiaries were responsible for creating a quarter of all jobs in Minamata..."

That is why they got away with it for as long as they did.  Victims' neighbors would even ostracize them, thinking Minamata disease might be contagious.

['andersom']

"...Chisso had great influence in Minamata. At one point over half of the tax revenue of Minamata City authority came from Chisso and its employees, and the company and its subsidiaries were responsible for creating a quarter of all jobs in Minamata..."

That is why they got away with it for as long as they did.  Victims' neighbors would even ostracize them, thinking Minamata disease might be contagious.

Playing the public with fear.

And now autism is an "epidemic".

[P7PSP]

"...Chisso had great influence in Minamata. At one point over half of the tax revenue of Minamata City authority came from Chisso and its employees, and the company and its subsidiaries were responsible for creating a quarter of all jobs in Minamata..."

That is why they got away with it for as long as they did.  Victims' neighbors would even ostracize them, thinking Minamata disease might be contagious.

No doubt but I suspect payoffs were happening as well.