Mercury Poisoning Tests In Taiji, Japan Suspiciously Inadequate

usepagov's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Dangerously high levels of mercury have been detected in hair samples taken from residents of Taiji, Japan, and while the Japanese government claims that there is no indication of Minamata disease, which is caused by methyl mercury poisoning from seafood, reports indicate that the authorities suspiciously did not conduct fundamental tests for the disease.

It's appalling to think that officials from Japan's National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) might be attempting to hide the severity and high frequency of mercury poisoning among the residents of whaling towns like Taiji, yet as we've learned from The Cove, the government has a vested interest in keeping quiet about the toxicity of dolphin meat sold to consumers.  Hiroshi Hasegawa, a journalist from Japan's AERA magazine who has been working to investigate the bizarre cover-up, explains:

And now, NIMD, an offshoot of the Ministry for the Environment, has not carried out two-point discrimination tests which would clearly determine damage to the cerebral cortex when examining residents of Taiji whose hair samples showed high levels of mercury.

Professor Shigeo Ekino of the Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kumamoto University, who has examined and researched Minamata disease patients on Goshoura Island in Amausa city, Wakayama Prefecture for many years an influential foreign magazine stating that Minamata disease is the result of brain damage, states that the situation in Taiji is an unparalleled chance for Japan to contribute to the world by establishing what effect mercury pollution of deep sea dolphins and fish is having on the human body, so I want it to be scientifically investigated.This is an important research topic for Japanese who live on a diet of fish.

Failure to conduct the proper testing for Minamata disease among those at high-risk for mercury poisoning could lead to widespread cases of brain damage and death because residents are not being shifted to low-mercury diets.

The story is just coming to light, and we will keep you updated as more information is uncovered.  In the meantime, use the action link below to learn what you can do to help stop the dolphin slaughters in Japan.