Toroku arsenic disease
Encyclopedia
Toroku arsenic disease was a disease resulting from air and water pollution from a refinery at a mine at Toroku, located in Takachiho
, Nishiusuki District
, Miyazaki
, Japan
.
It emitted arsenic
-containing air, resulting in patients with chronic arsenic poisoning
producing skin changes, skin cancer
s and sometimes lung cancer
. The Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., which bought the right of mining was sued by the patients for health damage, but 15 years later, the law suit ended with a compromise.
, and they were diagnosed as having chronic arsenic poisoning due to pollution, in a report published in 1973. The same team increased the number of patients to 48 in 1976, while Hotta and his co-workers made extensive studies of the pollution.
defects. The environmental agency first indicated the skin and ENT findings of nasal scar or septum defect as necessary symptoms for the Toroku Pollution.
, Lung cancer
, and cancer of the urinary organ were added as appearing following chronic arsenic poisoning.
Takachiho, Miyazaki
is a town located in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.-Geography:Takachiho is located in the northernmost part of Miyazaki Prefecture, bordering Kumamoto Prefecture on its north and northwest sides and Oita Prefecture on its north and northeast sides. The Gokase River flows from the...
, Nishiusuki District
Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki
Nishiusuki is a district located in Miyazaki, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 25,479 and the density of 37.10 persons per km². The total area is 686.77 km².-Towns and villages:*Gokase*Hinokage*Takachiho...
, Miyazaki
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
It emitted arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
-containing air, resulting in patients with chronic arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the element arsenic in the body. Arsenic interferes with cellular longevity by allosteric inhibition of an essential metabolic enzyme...
producing skin changes, skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
s and sometimes lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. The Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., which bought the right of mining was sued by the patients for health damage, but 15 years later, the law suit ended with a compromise.
History
The pollution at Toroku dates back to 1690 according to A Table of Public Hazards of Japan- Between 1920 and 1941, and between 1955 and 1962, arsenic production was conducted at a refinery which produced smoke staying deep in V-shaped valleys. Workers and inhabitants developed chronic arsenic poisoning, and 5 died in a family of 7 in succession.
- In 1925, horses and cows died possibly due to pollution, recorded a veterinary doctor.
- In 1967, the right of mining went from a small factory to Sumitomo Metal Mining Company.
- On December 8, 1970, Tsurue Sato sought advice at a branch of the Legal Affairs Bureau.
- On November 13, 1971, elementary school teacher Masa Saito published the presence of health damage by the refinery after meeting Tsurue Sato.
- The response of Miyazaki Prefecture was quick; however, the response at first tried to underestimate the damage.
- This case was brought to court against the Sumitomo Mining Company and the trial started in 1975. It ended in 1990 with a compromise.
Medical examinations
Seven patients were examined extensively at Kumamoto UniversityKumamoto University
is a university located in Kumamoto, Japan. It was established on May 31, 1949, at which time the following institutions were subsumed into it; Kumamoto Teachers College , Kumamoto Pharmaceutical College , The Fifth High School , Kumamoto Medical College , and Kumamoto Technical College ....
, and they were diagnosed as having chronic arsenic poisoning due to pollution, in a report published in 1973. The same team increased the number of patients to 48 in 1976, while Hotta and his co-workers made extensive studies of the pollution.
Skin and otorhinolaryngological symptoms
Nakamura et al. characterized the condition by pigmentation which is either macular or diffuse, appearing both in covered and exposed areas. Punctate depigmentation appears in raindrop shapes, and hard keratoses are either localized or diffuse. Malignant changes may occur. They pointed out nasal septumNasal septum
The nasal septum separates the left and right airways in the nose, dividing the two nostrils.It is depressed by the Depressor septi nasi muscle.-Composition:The fleshy external end of the nasal septum is sometimes also called columella....
defects. The environmental agency first indicated the skin and ENT findings of nasal scar or septum defect as necessary symptoms for the Toroku Pollution.
Other symptoms
In addition to the skin and ENT findings, neuritis was added as a criterion of chronic arsenic poisoning. Bowen's diseaseBowen's disease
Bowen's disease is a neoplastic skin disease, it can be considered as an early stage or intraepidermal form of squamous cell carcinoma. It was named after Mark Bowen...
, Lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, and cancer of the urinary organ were added as appearing following chronic arsenic poisoning.
Arsenic pollution in other areas of Japan
- Namikata Machi, Ehime PrefectureEhime Prefectureis a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...
, discovered in 1933, called the black baby incident. The cause remains unknown. - Nishikawa Machi, Niigata PrefectureNiigata Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, discovered in 1955, Pollution due to disposal of agricultural drugs - Chujo Machi, Niigata PrefectureNiigata Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, discovered in 1959, Caused by 75 year pollution of waste of a factory, Resulting in lung cancers