Two prominent environmental public health crises that occurred in Japan was the tragic Itai-Itai disease and Minamata disease. The former was due to industrial waste dumped in the Jinzu River, and chronic cadmium poisoning afflicted the residents from ingestion of the contaminated water. The most significant symptom was osteomalacia, which is the softening of bones from rapid loss of Calcium and excruciating bone pain. The government placed economic growth post World War II as a priority over the health of the public and the residents suffered for decades even after the source of the illness was identified. This was one of the first epidemiological studies conducted traced the environmental point source contaminant.
Minamata disease is caused by methylmercury poisoning and the route was ingestion of contaminated fish. The Chisso Cooperation produced chemicals and dumped the excess materials into the Minamata Bay which is what the local fisherman relied on for their livelihood. The disease manifests with neurological symptoms, numbness in extremities, general muscle weakness and is fatal. Minamata Disease was termed “dancing cat fever” as the cats lost coordination, walked erratically, and subsequently drowned in the Bay and at this time the citizens did not know the cause for this disease that plagued them. We had to opportunity to hear from a speaker who was born with fetal Minamata disease. Nagamoto-san was a kind man, and shared his experiences while growing up such as bullying in school, and he was ostracized by peers. He told us about his work today as an advocate for equal treatment of those born with disabilities and people in society with rare diseases. There was a negative stigma surrounding Minamata disease because originally it was thought to be contagious, but the negative stereotypes continue to haunt the city. For example, people fear moving into the region or others fear marrying native Minamata residents.
The objective of this program is to understand how Japanese society, culture, history, and environmental influence human health issues. Public Health is a relatively new field (gained popularity due to the pandemic) and was established when urbanization occurred around the world in order to take care of health on a population level. Through the tours of the museums and storytellers, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between the environment, anthropogenic stressors, and burden of disease on a population through an international lens. This trip strengthened my decision to pursue my master’s in public health.
The takeaway from these key public health events is to take preventative measures to protect population health. With the technology and knowledge, we have today it is crucial to protect the public’s health and have environmental control legislation in place to prevent such tragic incident from ever occurring. The Japanese government has since implemented stringent environmental controls to protect the public’s health. This is picture of us outside the Itai-Itai disease museum.
