神通川における水銀汚染に関する調査研究特に汚染源調査について

概要

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Mercury pollution in the Minamata Bay and the Agano River area has been investigated mainly in respect to methyl mercury. In 1967, however, Kitamura et al. reported that the concentration of total mercury, methyl, and ethyl mercury in carp in the Jinzu River, Toyama, was 10.15, 0.53, and 3.00ppm, respectively. This was probably the first time that pollution by ethyl mercury was detected.The present report deals with a detailed survey of the mercury content (total, methyl, and ethyl Hg) of the adjacent soil, bottom sediment, and fish in the Jinzu River area, including several of its branches, conducted by the authors in 1969.The total and ethyl Hg concentration in fish was very high in the Kumano River (5.4 and 1.54ppm), a branch of the Jinzu River, and in the Jinzu-Ohashi area (2.8 and 0.69ppm), approximately 2km below the point where the Kumano River flows into the main stream. This led us to examine the drainage of "F" pharmaceutical factory into the Kumano River. Our first hypothesis that the pollution might be of geochemical nature was proved wrong by the finding that the total and ethyl Hg concentration in the sediment in this drainage was extremely high, 9, 300 and 31.90ppm, respectively.These results clearly indicate that the pollution originated from "F" pharmeceutical factory, where thimerosal was being produced.
日本衛生学会の論文