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OnenessButoh and Rain Ensemble performed an Ode to Minamata, a poignant prayer for the survivors and victims of the Chisso Corporation Mercury Disaster in Minamata Bay. I was invited to write something for the program insert, which I share with you here. The performance itself was beautiful and powerful.

First, name the offender, in this case the corporation.

Of course the company would prefer we refer to the disaster by some other name, for at least a century or more. It’s bad press to have your company name associated with a horrific travesty. Use the name of the criminal to refer to the crime.

Chisso Corporation began producing fertilizers in Minamata Bay on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan in 1908, and soon thereafter expanded its scope to include acetylene, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, vinyl chloride and octanol, among others. Although the factory became known as the most advanced in all of Japan, it handled its manufacturing waste products by dumping them into Minamata Bay.  

The fishermen noted the effects first. There were fewer fish to be caught. Chisso agreed to compensation agreements with the fishery cooperative twice, in 1926 and 1943.

Secondly, name the offending agent.

In this case, it’s a chemical, which doesn’t have an opinion or a perspective. It just exists and follows the rules of nature, regardless of where it is or who it contacts. A bacteria, a fish, a cat, or a human are all the same in the eyes of a molecule.  

Acetaldehyde production began at the factory in 1932 with 210 tons, escalating to 6,000 tons per year in 1951. Chisso chose to use inorganic mercury sulfate as a catalyst in the process until 1968. A side reaction produced methylmercury, an organic form, which is more readily incorporated into living beings, like fish, cats, and humans. The mercury, likely both forms, was dumped into the bay. The microbes in the water and sediment converted any inorganic mercury into methylmercury.

Thirdly, understand the need that was getting fulfilled.

Acetaldehyde occurs in nature in coffee beans, dairy and soy products, fermenting fruit, pickles, and bread. Acetaldehyde contributes to the hangover feeling when your liver metabolizes alcohol. It’s classified as a known cancer causing chemical according to the the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It’s not a probable or possible carcinogen. It’s a known carcinogen. It’s in tobacco and cannabis smoke. It’s in the outdoor air, produced in the production and burning of fossil fuels, as well as trash and wood. It’s in indoor air off-gassing from newly renovated floors and walls. It’s all around us. So why manufacture more of it? To make plastics, medicines, paints, construction materials, disinfectants, cosmetics and perfumes. Take pause here for a moment to recognize your own participation in creating the need that Chisso was fulfilling.

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Fourth, know the impact of everything you do, buy, use, and throw away.

Acetaldehyde causes cancer. Methylmercury damages the brains and nerves of living creatures. People poisoned with mercury lose sensation and coordination, develop seizures, fall into a coma, and die. The children of Minamata Bay suffered more than anyone else; babies of mothers who are heavily exposed are born deformed, crippled, and developmentally damaged.

The first case was of methylmercury poisoning in Minamata Bay was noted in 1956. Although it wasn’t until 1959 that scientists pinpointed mercury sourced from the Chisso factory as the culprit, it took another 9 years for Chisso to stop using mercury in its manufacturing process. For 34 years, Chisso dumped a toxic heavy metal into the water from which fisherman took food home to their families.  

Finally, recognize that “We All Live in Bhopal”.

(www.walib.org) Lest you think the Chisso Mercury Disaster in Minamata Bay was something that happened far away to the children of poor brown fisherman in another part of the world, remember, we are all constantly exposed to multiple dangerous chemicals, and an industrial disaster can happen anywhere industries are not regulated and our air, water, and soil are not protected and revered as sacred.  

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