The Delayed Appearance of a Mercurial Warning

Details

• Personal Author:
  Choi A ; Grandjean P
• Description:
  The publication of a 1971 study from Japan on chronic methylmercury poisoning in adults provides an occasion to reexamine the history of Minamata disease and its social and political repercussions. Research findings were suppressed or held back due to controversies that were tearing the Japanese scientific community apart. Similar controversies occurred outside of Japan as well. Only now are the long-term adverse effects of environmental methylmercury exposure becoming clear. The delayed release of the 1971 results therefore reminds us as epidemiologists of our obligation, even in the presence of scientific uncertainty, to call attention to preventable risks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Epidemiology Men Mercury Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Environmental Exposure Etiology Exposure Levels Health Effects Humans Mercury Poisoning Nervous System Preventive Medicine Risk Factors
• ISSN:
  1044-3983
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10-11
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055838
• Citation:
  Epidemiology 2008 Jan; 19(1):10-11
• Contact Point Address:
  Philippe Grandjean, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, 3-East, Boston, MA 02215
• Email:
  pgrand@hsph.harvard.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6) ; Methylmercury(1+) (CAS RN 22967-92-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:60550b579f8f0679fffefd7604e856b4a49809c246f947f176d5c4cf8e02139e24e15c505a5fa06179d3c4b4756fdb56bd24a9c1cfc88b866d6cf020da584b33
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213604/cdc_213604_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 215.94 KB ]