Question

Minamate and itai-itai are caused by the pollution of
A) Mercury and Lead
B) Mercury and Cadmium
C) Lead and Tin
D) Lead and Strontium

Answer 1

Hint: Minamata disease is a contamination disease that is caused by the ingestion of significant numbers of fish and shellfish that live in and around Minamata Bay. The element that causes itai-itai disease makes the bone soft and causes kidney failure.

Complete answer:
Minamata disease is an illness that is not common to people in other parts of the world, but it is abundantly obvious to those living in the city of Minamata, Japan. In the strict sense of the world, Minamata disease is not even a disease. It is a neurological syndrome arising from industrial pollution and contamination of the environment. In the Jinzu River basin in Toyama Prefecture, Itai-itai disease was discovered and has been widely recognised since the 1950s through the efforts of locals and Dr. Hagino, who was a general surgeon with a private clinic in the contaminated area.

Now, let us find the solution from the options-
- Minamata disease is caused by the ingestion from different environmental sources of methyl mercury into the body, mainly by seafood.
- The level of mercury in the body is examined for hair samples and it is generally known that there is likely to be nerve damage as these levels are found more than 50ppm.
- One of the most dangerous elements to which humans may be exposed at work or in the atmosphere is cadmium (Cd). There was an epidemic of itai-itai disease in the Cd-polluted Jinzu River basin at Toyama, which is the most serious level of chronic Cd poisoning.
- Pollution of cadmium can cause bone softening and failure of the kidneys. The kidney is the organ that has been critically damaged by long-term exposure to Cd.

Thus, the correct answer is option (B) Mercury and Cadmium.

Note: The leakage of methylmercury into industrial wastewater from a chemical factory operated by the Chisso Company, which lasted from 1932 to 1968, caused Minamata disease to be first identified in the city of Minamata. The word "itai-itai disorder" was coined by locals for the extreme pains encountered in the spine and joints by individuals with the condition.