Amazon basin mercury crisis echoes Japan's Minamata tragedy
About this episode
The episode discusses the parallels between the Minamata disease tragedy in Japan and the emerging mercury crisis in the Amazon rainforest due to illegal mining.
Seven decades have passed since the devastating effects of Minamata disease — caused by mercury poisoning — were officially recognized in southwestern Japan. The tragedy affected thousands of people and their families with a legacy that continues to cast a long shadow. A similar crisis is developing on the other side of the world, among indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest. Driven by soaring gold prices, illegal mining that uses mercury in the extraction process is spreading rapidly, polluting the waters from where local people source fish as a dietary staple.
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