Proactive Environmental Studies 1

Minamata Disease and

Framing in Sustainability Science

MINO Takashi
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 Extended meaning of sustainability

Sustainability of Disasters, wars

Pollution and
deterioration of the the human-nature system
environment

Social inequity,
limitation in energy, Financial collapse, poverty
resource, food, economic
water, space, etc. imbalance,
insufficient job
opportunity

What are possible factors that could negatively affect

sustainability of the human-nature system?
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 History of Water Pollution Control
Background --------------- Type of Water ---------------- Technological
Pollution Measures
Increase in Development of
Urban Population Waterborne Disease Water Supply and
& Poor Sanitation Sewerage Systems

Organic Pollution
Discharge of Organic
in Receiving Water Pollutants
Bodies
WWTP Constructed
(End-of-pipe Technology)
Industrial Pollution by Toxic “Cleaner Technology”
Evolution Chemicals and Decentralized System
Heavy Metals
Intensive
Agriculture Source Control
Eutrophication (N & P) Environmental
High-Tech Society
Management
And Micro-pollutants
Modern Life Style
Changes in Life
Refractory Chemicals Style ????
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 Lessons from the WQM History (1)
n A specific environmental problem
=> Needs for solutions/improvement
=> New Technology Development
=> New problems and so on………

Once a technology system is developed, it is not easy to re-

form it: emerging problems of the system may be often solved
by putting additional technical counter-measures on top of the
existing system (ex. “end-of-pipe” technology), which may not
work as expected.
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 Lessons from the WQM History (2)

n Humankind have tried to solve environmental

problems by direct technical countermeasures
without changing the existing system structures of
the human society.
n The more complex the human, social and global
systems are, limitations of technical solutions
have become more prominent: a single measure
does not work effectively, but holistic approaches
are required.

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Minamata Disease (1)
Tokyo
n A neurological syndrome caused by
methyl-mercury poisoning
n Occurred since 1950s in those who
ingested fish and shellfish
Japan
contaminated by mercury discharged
from the Minamata factory of Chisso
Corporation, a chemical company
n In extreme cases, death followed after
various neurological symptoms
n About 3,000 officially designated
patients, among which 1,500 died: an
estimated number of patients is
20,000-30,000.
Minamata
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 Minamata Disease (2) - Mechanism

Minamata Disease

Intake as Food
Mercury Catalist

Acetylene Aceto-Aldehyde

Methyl-Mercury

Plankton Fish
Bioaccumulation of Mercury through Food Chain
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 A Movie on Japanese
Experience
n Japan’s Lessons on Economy and
Environment – Our Pollution Experience

•
A film showing Japan’s experiences on
how Japan “overcame” environmental
pollution
•
Supervised by Office of Overseas
Environmental Cooperation, Environment
Agency, Japan

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 Minamata Disease (3) - Photos
Mother & Girl Patient
Photo by E. Smith

Chisso Minamata Factory

Demonstration by Patients

A 17 year-old girl

Minamata Disease
Memorial Monument 9
 Minamata Disease (4) - History
1908 “Chisso” began operation of the factory
1932 Aceto-aldehyde production (mercury-aided process) started
1949 (+-) Fish catch decreased significantly in Minamata Bay
1953 (+-) Patients with Minamata Disease (MD) symptoms appeared
1956 First “official” MD patient reported
1959 Kumamoto Univ research team suggested organic mercury
as possible causing substance of MD
1963 Official announcement by Kumamoto Univ that methyl-mercury
is the causing substance of MD
1968 Japanese Government officially admitted methyl-mercury as the
causing substance of MD
1969 Patient groups brought a compensation suit against Chisso Co.
1977 Minamata Bay reclamation project began (completed in 1990)
2005 First no more Minamata suit against National Government
2013 Second no more Minamata suit against National Government
2017 Minamata Convention on Mercury came into effect
[Made by Mino]
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 Minamata Disease (5)
n Lessons from Experience of Minamata Disease
n Uncertainty in identifying the cause &
mechanism
n Difficulties in scientific approaches (different
intensions of different stakeholders)
n Vague criteria for designation of patients
n Serious (fatal) to mild cases
n Social Constraints
n Hard to be independent within a company or a
community
n Frictions among different stakeholders leading to
disruption of the community
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 Minamata Disease (6)
Harada Model for Relationship between Methyl-
Mercury Exposure level and Symptoms of Minamata

Methyl-Mercury Exposure Level

Death
Acute, Paralysis (麻痺)
serious Convulsions (痙攣) Typical
Conciousness Symptoms of
Semi-acute
Disorder (意識障害) Methyl-Mercury
chronic
Sensory Disturbance Poisoning
（Typical Symptoms）
(感覚障害)
Ataxia (運動失調)
Partial/less serious symptoms など

Non-typical symptoms

（Potential/invisible effects）

（After “原田正純著「水俣病にまなぶ旅-水俣病の前に水俣病はなかった」日本評論社, 1985” 味埜が一部改変） 12

 Minamata Disease (7)
Compensation vs Actual Payment for Countermeasures
Total Amount as
Notes
1989 equivalent
Cost for Physical Actual annual investment for
¥123,000,000/yr
Countermeasures countermeasures

Total Compensation ¥12,631,000,000/yr

Amount of average compensation

Health Damage ¥7,671,000,000/yr for patients in 1974-1989

Environmental Annual average cost for dredging

¥4,271,000,000/yr contaminated sediments
Pollution
Annual compensation for fishery
Fishery Damage ¥689,000,000/yr damage

[Japan‘sLessons on Economy and Environment, NIES, 1991]

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Implementation of Environmental Standards
and Effluent Standards (1)
Fig. Percentage of Number of Monitoring Points where the measured
concentration of a toxic matter exceed the environmental standard
[White Paper on the 1967: Basic Law on the
Environment, 2003] Environment
Cadmium Environmental Standards
Cadmium
Total Cyanide
Total Cyanide Environmental Pollution
Organic P
Organic P
Lead Prevention Plan
Lead Chromium
6-valent
6-valent Chromium
Arsenic 1971：Water Pollution Control Act
Arsenic
Total Mercury Effluent Standards
Percentage

Total Mercury
PCB
PCB Manager in charge of
pollution control

Note: There was an amendment

of environmental standards
(ESs) in 1994, and the ESs of
1970 1980 1990 2000 Lead and Arsenic were changed
Year from 0.1mg/l to 0.01mg/l, and
Fig. Percentage of Number of Monitoring Points where the measured from 0.05mg/l to 0.01mg/l,
concentration of a toxic matter exceed the environmental standard respectively.
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 Implementation of Environmental
Standards and Effluent Standards (2)
n Why can such a drastic improvement of water
quality in the natural water body be achieved after
1970s with respect to toxic compounds?
n Legislative aspects
q Local Governments => Obligatory implementation of
Environmental pollution Control Plan
q Private Sectors => Introduction of “Manager in
environmental pollution control”
n Social and Human aspects
q Development of local education and training systems
q Strong pressure from public against environmental

pollution
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Key dimensions in sustainability thinking
(Framing)

n Economy, society and environment

n Socio-cultural vs technological factors
n Temporal frame
n Spatial frame
n Holistic (top-down) vs
trans-boundary (bottom-up)
n Efficiency vs resilience
n Dilemma, Uncertainty, dynamics, diversity, etc.

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Transformation towards Sustainable Society (revised)
Top-down Transformation
Approaches Holistic channels
Treatment - Legislation/policy/ad
- Global/long-term ministration
considerations Definition of long- - Economy/supply
- Integrity of human- term global goals chain/consumption
- Education
natural system Back-casting - Technological
approaches innovations
- Partnership
- Behavior/ethics etc.

Identification of Resilience Possible Actions

Complexity of towards Sustainable
Sustainability Issues Uncertainty Goals
Framing complexities
- Temporal/Spatial
- LCA Process
- Social/economical/en Management - Community-based
vironmental thinking
- Legal/political/instituti Identification of
onal local values/goals - Local well-being
- Cultural oriented
- Values/norms Trans-boundary Bottom-up
- World Thinking Approaches
views/paradigms etc.
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 Assignment to all students
n Write a report on the assigned paper which should include:
n why you choose that paper
n how the concept of Sustainability is understood or defined in the
selected paper
n critical discussion about the proposed concept of sustainability in
the paper of your choice through your own perspectives or in
relation to your own research theme.
n Format of individual report
n Approximately 1,500-2,000 words or A4 3-4 pages (not strict) in
Word or pdf file.
n The file must be named as “PES-1_Report_XXX_Your Name”
(Insert your student number for XXX except for UNU students.
UNU students insert “UNU” for XXX).
n You must submit the report through Google Drive (not by e-mail as
indicated before) by the deadline, January 10 (Mon), 2022.

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 Group Discussion & Presentation
(January 17, 2022)
13:00-13:10 Introduction by Mino
13:10-13:50 Group Discussion in breakout rooms - sharing ideas
among each group
- Decide who facilitate and who record the discussion at the
beginning
- 3 min presentation by each member followed by discussion
among all members
13:50-14:35 Presentation of the outcomes of discussion from
10 groups
- 4 min for presentation, 30 seconds for changing groups
- 2 min for explanation of the assigned paper, 2 min for sharing
key points of the group discussion
14:35-14:45 Overall discussion and Wrap-up

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