Minamata Bay

Once released, mercury cycles through the air, water, and soil, contaminating fish, wildlife, and even drinking water.

For a terrifying example of just how catastrophic mercury contamination can be on a large scale, just look to the Minamata Bay disaster.

For generations, life in the quiet fishing town of Minamata, Japan revolved around the sea.

Most residents were fishermen who made their living from the bay and gathered around dinner tables to enjoy the fruit of their daily hard work.

But all that changed forever in 1932 when Chisso Corporation, a powerful chemical company, began dumping methylmercury, the deadliest form of mercury, directly into Minamata Bay.

The factory's wastewater flowed freely into the sea, carrying the invisible poison with it.

At first, no one noticed because the mercury had no smell, no taste, and no warning signs.

Why are these kids so sick? And then they realized there was a chemical production plant in Minamata, and they were using mercury as a catalyst.

And so it turned out that, yes, the Minamata Bay was severely polluted.

And the local fisheries were, of course, affected by this.

But this inspired me.