10 : WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM MINAMATA DISEASE?

Minamata disease was caused by eating fish and shellfish contaminated by chemicals in the industrial waste discharged by Chisso, and it also caused people to be divided against each other.

From this experience, the people of Minamata have learned the value of water and food, which are essential to life. They also learned that household and industrial waste must not be allowed to destroy the environment.

Mass production, mass consumption, and mass waste have made our lives more convenient and prosperous, yet we are surrounded by toxic substances such as exhaust gases, pesticides, and food preservatives that endanger our environment and our health. We cannot think about the material prosperity of our lives without considering our relationships with the other countries of the world. Minamata disease tells us that we are perpetrators as well as victims.

Minamata disease teaches us the importance of not destroying nature; of living with the awareness that nature gives us life; of considering food safety and the interconnectedness of people, rivers, and the sea; of reducing and recycling home and industrial waste; and of never turning our eyes away from local problems.

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