Minamata poisoning continues to spread in southwestern Japan and as many as 2 million people may have contracted it since the early 1950s, a researcher has said, citing new scientific studies.
The illness that originated in Minamata, Kumamato Prefecture, still claims victims because of the continued presence of mercury in the Shiranui Sea from industrial emissions, Yoichi Tani of the Minamata Disease Victims' Mutual Aid Society told reporters in Tokyo.
Tani said previous studies estimated 100,000 people had the disease based on mercury poisoning levels of between 50 and 100 parts per million in their hair.