I-Mercury Poisoning eyagula iDolobha lonke laseJapane
Iqale ngamakati edolobheni. Maphakathi nawo-1950, abantu baseMinamata, eJapane baqala ukuphawula ukuthi amakati abo ayehlamba futhi ewela olwandle. Abanye abantu bacabanga ukuthi amakati ayezibulala.
Ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, kuvele ukugula okungavamile ukuhamba edolobheni. Abantu baseMinamata babika ama-numbness emilenzeni nasezindebe zabo. Abanye babenzima ukuzwa noma ukubona.
Abanye baqala ukuzamazama (ezithuthumayo) ezandleni nasezinyaweni zabo, kunzima ukuhamba, ngisho nokulimala kwengqondo. Futhi, njengamakati, abanye abantu babonakala behamba, bekhala ngokungalawuleki. Okuthile kwakuthinta isimiso sabo sezinzwa .
Ekugcineni, ngoJulayi 1959, abacwaningi abavela e-Kumamoto University bathola umthombo wokugula - amazinga aphezulu okuthiwa yi-mercury poisoning - okuthiwa yi-Minamata isifo. Kodwa bonke laba bantu (kanye namakati) babeba nobuthi kanjani?
Inhlekelele ye-Minamata
I-Minamata yidolobha elincane lokudoba elisogwini lweShiranui Sea. Ngenxa yendawo yayo, abantu basekhaya badla izinhlanzi eziningi. Ukudliwa kwezinhlanzi zabantu kanye namakati kaMinamata kubonakala sengathi kuyintambo evamile phakathi kwalabo ababonisa izimpawu, okuholela ososayensi ukusola ukuthi inhlanzi eMinamata Bay ibuthiwe.
Isitshalo esikhulu se-petrochemical eMinamata, esiphethwe yiChisso Corporation, kusolakala ukuthi ngokushesha.
UChisiso wenqabe izinsolo futhi waqhubeka nokukhiqiza ngaphandle kokushintsha indlela yokukhiqiza. UChisiso waqhubeka nokuphika ukubandakanyeka kwakhe noma ukuthi imfucumfucu ye-mercury yayibangela ukugula. (Kwabe sekutholwa kamuva ukuthi i-Chisso Corporation yayidonsa amathani angu-27 wamakhemikhali e-mercury eMinamata Bay.)
Njengoba i-mercury dumping iqhubeka, abesilisa abanobuthi babeletha izingane ezinobuthi. Lezi zinsana zazalwa ezinokukhubazeka okukhulu ezihlanganisa izitho ezinamazinyo, ukuphuza kwengqondo, ukuzwa, nokuphuphuthekisa.
Abadobi baseMinamata baqala ukuphikisana noChisiso Corporation ngo-1959. Bafuna uChisiso ukuba ayeke ukulahla imfucuza eyingozi futhi ahlawule izifo zabo. UChisiso, wazama ukusebenzisana nabantu abathintekayo yi-mercury poisoning besebenzisa izincwadi zomthetho ezithi zizokhokhela abantu ngezifo zabo kodwa ngeke zamukele icala elikhona noma elizayo. Abantu abaningi babe nomuzwa wokuthi lokhu kwaba yodwa ithuba lokuthola isinxephezelo, futhi basayina amaphepha.
Ukubuyiswa Kusuka Ku-Poimata Poisoning
U-Chisso wagcina eseyeka ukubulala u-Minimata amanzi ka-1968. Ngokusho kukahulumeni waseJapane, abantu abangu-2 955 bathola izifo zakwaMinamata nabantu abangu-1 784 sebefile. Kodwa-ke abacwaningi bakholelwa ukuthi izindlela uhulumeni azisebenzisayo ukuze ahlolisise izifo zeMinamata ziqinile kakhulu, futhi ukuthi noma ubani okhombisa noma yiliphi izinga lokukhubazeka okuzwakalayo kufanele kuthathwe njengesisulu. Kuze kube manje, uChisiso uye wahlawula imali engaphezu kwabangu-10 000 abantu futhi uyaqhubeka nokubandakanya izibopho mayelana nalolu daba.
Ngo-Okthoba 1982, abamangalelwa abangu-40 bafaka isicelo ngokumelene nohulumeni waseJapane, bethi behlulekile ukumisa uChisiso ekungcoliseni imvelo futhi empeleni wayebukeke ngenkathi uChisiso ephula imithetho yokungcola.
Ngo-Ephreli 2001, iNkantolo eNkulu yase-Osaka inqume ukuthi iNkonzo yoMnyango wezeMpilo neNhlalakahle kumele iqale ukuthatha izinyathelo zokulawula ukuvimbela ubuthi ekupheleni kuka-1959 emva kokuba abacwaningi baphetha ngokuthi izifo zakwaMinamata zibangelwa ubuthi lwe-mercury. Inkantolo iphinde icele u-Chisso ukuthi akhokhe imali engu-2,18 wezigidi ezilimala abaphikisi.
Ngo-Okthoba 16, 2004, iNkantolo Ephakeme YaseJapane yayala uhulumeni ukuthi akhokhe imali engu-71.5 million ($ 703,000) emonakalweni yezisulu zesifo seMinamata. UNgqongqoshe wezeMvelo ugobile ekuxoliseni abaphikisi. Ngemuva kweminyaka engama-22, abaphikisi bafezekise umgomo wabo wokwenza labo abathintekayo ukungcola kwezezimboni zaseJapane bakhokhele ukunganaki kwabo.
Ngonyaka ka-2010, uKhisso wayala ukuthi akhokhele izigidi ezingu-2.1 zama yen kanye nezibonelelo zezokwelashwa zanyangazonke kulabo abangazange baqinisekiswe nguhulumeni ukuthi banesimo. Abantu abangaphezu kuka-50,000 basebenzise le nxephezelo, kubonisa ukuthi, eminyakeni engaphezu kwamashumi amahlanu kamuva, imiphumela yale nhlekelele isabonakala.
> Imithombo:
I-American University, Isikole Sezinkonzo Zomhlaba Wonke. Inhlekelele ye-Minamata.
I-Kyodo News. Iziguli zesifo se-Minamata ezingaziwa ukuzophikisa uhulumeni. I-Japan Namuhla, ngo-Okthoba 17, 2004.
Imiyalo ye-Mizoguchi, K. Inkokhelo ekhokhelwa ama-poisoning izisulu. I-Boston Globe, ngo-Okthoba 16, 2004.
U-Olson, i-DA (2002). I-Mercury. eMedicine.
UTanaka, F. Ukunganaki kucacile ku-Case Minamata. I-Daily Yomiuri.
I-Japan Times. I-Mercury iphathelene ne-Mercury