Amazon basin mercury crisis echoes Japan's Minamata tragedy

Seven decades have passed since the devastating effects of Minamata disease — caused by mercury poisoning — were officially recognized in southwestern Japan. The tragedy affected thousands of people and their families with a legacy that continues to cast a long shadow. A similar crisis is developing on the other side of the world, among indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest. Driven by soaring gold prices, illegal mining that uses mercury in the extraction process is spreading rapidly, polluting the waters from where local people source fish as a dietary staple.