Minamata Disease an Unusual Neurological Disorder Caused by Contaminated Fish

McAlpine, Douglas; Araki, Shukuro

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(58)90348-9

Cited by 151 publications

(58 citation statements)

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“…After the tragic outbreaks of Minamata (McAlpine and Araki, 1958), culminating in the episode in Iraq in 1971-72 (Bakir et al, 1973), methyl mercury has been recognized as a potent neurotoxin with impacts on the developing brain and responsible for severe neurological dysfunction. Neurological effects are not the only damaging consequences of mercury exposure: cardiovascular abnormalities have also been described.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishing activity, health characteristics and mercury exposure of Amerindian women living alongside the Beni River (Amazonian Bolivia)

Bénéfice

Luna-Monrroy

Lopez-Rodriguez

2010

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

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Populations in Bolivian Amazonia are exposed to mercury contamination through fish ingestion. A group of 170 Amerindian women living along the banks of the Beni River were examined in order to detect any adverse effects on their health consistent with the toxic effects of mercury. The mercury content of the women's hair (H-Hg) was used as the bio-indicator of mercury exposure. The women answered a 24-hour food recall questionnaire on the frequency of their fish consumption. They also underwent a clinical examination with their weight, stature, hemoglobinemia hemoglobin concentration in blood, and blood pressure being recorded. Significant relationships were found between fishing practices, the frequency of fish consumption and H-Hg levels with mercury contaminated women (H-Hg > 5 µg/g) being more likely to present neurological abnormalities (paresthesia, static and dynamic imbalance, poor motor coordination) than non-contaminated women.. No relationship was found between blood pressure and mercury levels. Women with higher H-Hg reported more infant deaths than did women with lower levels. A logistic regression analysis which included socio cultural traits, fish consumption habits and health characteristics was performed in order to determine the risks of contamination. Contaminated women were more likely to belong to those communities pursuing traditional fishing activities; moreover these women tended to be younger and frailer than other. They also exhibited mild neurological abnormalities and reported more infant deaths. These findings should stimulate local communities to take preventive actions directed towards the more "traditional" and vulnerable groups of population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fishing activity, health characteristics and mercury exposure of Amerindian women living alongside the Beni River (Amazonian Bolivia)

Bénéfice

Luna-Monrroy

Lopez-Rodriguez

2010

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

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“…Neurotoxicity of organic (MeHg) or inorganic (Hg 2 + ) mercury has been well documented in both humans [8,13,14,19,29,32,33,35,48] and experimental animals [1,11,28,29,31,40,47]. The developing premature and immature CNS is more sensitive to damage from MeHg than the adult CNS [8,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The developing premature and immature CNS is more sensitive to damage from MeHg than the adult CNS [8,13]. In general, weeks or months are needed to manifest phenotypic conditions due to Hg 2 + such as hearing loss, ataxia, weakness and visual and sensory changes from acute or chronic Hg 2 + poisoning [17,32,33]. The auditory deficit extends almost over the entire frequency range of hearing, and in the most severe instances, Hg 2 + can lead to clinically significant auditory deficits [4,19,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercury (Hg2+) suppression of potassium currents of outer hair cells

Guihua

Järlebark

Ulfendahl

et al. 2003

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

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The heavy metal mercury (Hg 2 + ) is an insidious environmental pollutant that causes toxic effects on sensory systems. It is well known that the group IIB divalent cation Hg 2 + is an inhibitor of the group I monovalent potassium (K + ) cation pore-forming channel in several biological preparations. Here, we used the whole cell patch clamp technique on freshly isolated outer hair cells (OHCs) of the guinea pig cochlea to record outward K + currents and inward K + currents treated with mercuric chloride (HgCl 2 ). HgCl 2 affected K + currents in a voltage-and dose-dependent manner. The effects of HgCl 2 at 1.0 -100 mM are more pronounced on onset peak current than on steady-state end current. HgCl 2 depolarized also the resting membrane potential. Although the effect of HgCl 2 at 1.0 mM was partially washed out over several minutes, the effects at 10 and 100 mM were irreversible to washout. Since K + channels of OHCs are targets for HgCl 2 ototoxicity, this may lead to auditory transduction problems, including a loss in hearing sensitivity. A better understanding of fundamental mechanisms underlying K + channelopathies in OHCs due to HgCl 2 poisoning may lead to better preventive or therapeutic agents. D

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“…The major source of mercury contamination is the natural degassing of the earth's crust, although major contributions also arise from anthropogenic sources (2). The amounts released from both sources do not cause problems on a global scale, but increases on a local level can lead to serious health problems with long-term consequences for the affected population (3,4). Thus, simple, sensitive, and reliable procedures for detection of mercury in the environment are needed to prevent these problems from arising.…”

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confidence: 99%