That time the physicians were shocked at the high mortality rate for the new illness: it was
found that thirteen other people, including those from small fishing villages near Minamata
had died with the same symptoms, as well as local domestic animals and birds. It was found
that a common factor of all the victims is that they all ate large quantities of fish from
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Minamata Bay. It became clear that the poisonings were linked to a production facility in
Minamata making ethanol and PVC, a type of plastic, owned by the Chisso Corporation, a
hydro-electric power company that produced chemical fertilizers. Eventually, the medical
research team reached the tentative conclusion that the deaths were caused by mercury
poisoning through the consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish; mercury was being
used by the Chisso complex as a reaction catalyst.