Chào mừng quý vị đến với Do Manh Ha 's Website.
Quý vị chưa đăng nhập hoặc chưa đăng ký làm thành viên, vì vậy chưa thể tải được các tư liệu của Thư viện về máy tính của mình.
Nếu chưa đăng ký, hãy đăng ký thành viên tại đây hoặc xem phim hướng dẫn tại đây
Nếu đã đăng ký rồi, quý vị có thể đăng nhập ở ngay ô bên phải.
Mercury Poisoning
Nguồn: Đỗ Mạnh Hà sưu tầm
Người gửi: Đỗ Mạnh Hà (trang riêng)
Ngày gửi: 13h:11' 04-02-2009
Dung lượng: 4.3 MB
Số lượt tải: 20
Mô tả: Mercury Poisoning
Người gửi: Đỗ Mạnh Hà (trang riêng)
Ngày gửi: 13h:11' 04-02-2009
Dung lượng: 4.3 MB
Số lượt tải: 20
Mô tả: Mercury Poisoning
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Elizabeth Lickiss.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The year was 1956. Megumi Takahashi put her hand to her head. The young woman felt terrible! Her eyes felt strange. She could not see very well. She sat down to eat. But she found eating difficult. The food kept falling from her wooden chopsticks. Megumi stood up. But then she fell to the ground again. Megumi was afraid. What was happening to her?
Voice 2
Megumi was not the only one asking this question. Other members of her family and friends also felt sick. In fact, many people in their town of Minamata, Japan were struggling. People from surrounding fishing villages were also suffering. People, animals and fish were dying.
Voice 1
At the time, no one knew what was happening. But experts later confirmed the tragic truth. The people were experiencing the first signs of a weakening nervous condition. They had been poisoned!
Voice 2
We now know the tragic story of the people of Minamata Bay. Their food was poisoned with methylmercury. Methylmercury is a very dangerous form of mercury. It was methylmercury that poisoned the waters of Minamata Bay.
Voice 1
The waters provided the main food supply for local people and surrounding areas. For many years, no one knew that the metal infected the waters. The mercury came from a chemical factory owned by the Chisso Corporation. The factory poured its mercury waste into the waters of Minamata Bay. This had terrible effects on the environment. It poisoned the sea life. Fish were an important part of the villagers diet. So many people developed mercury poisoning - later called ‘Minamata disease.’ This caused brain damage, speech problems, and loss of movement. Chisso Corporation polluted the water from 1932 to 1968!
Voice 2
In the beginning, Chisso Corporation denied the charges against them. However, experts later proved them guilty. They estimated that Chisso had thrown twenty-seven [27] tons of mercury into Minamata Bay. The Japanese government stated that around three thousand [3000] people suffered with Minamata disease. Other people said that the number was much higher.
Voice 1
The disease left surviving victims with severe health problems, such as brain damage. The victims tried to make Chisso pay for its acts. They also made official protests against the Japanese government. The people said that the government had failed to stop Chisso polluting the environment. After a long battle the case went to the Osaka High Court. In April 2001, the court stated that the government should have acted to stop the poisoning. The court ordered Chisso to pay over two million dollars [2,000,000] for damages to the victims.
Voice 2
It took much longer for the government to pay any money. Thirty-seven [37] of the victims took the government to court in 1982. In 2004, Japan’s Supreme Court ordered the government to pay over seven hundred thousand dollars [$700,000] to these victims. The government’s environmental minister apologised. The victims had waited twenty-two [22] years for this apology. But the words and money could never bring back the hundreds of other lives lost. The Minamata tragedy was Japan’s worst case of industrial pollution.
Voice 1
The Japanese government did establish a ‘National Institute for Minamata Disease’. That was in 1978. Its purpose was to provide medical treatment for victims of the disease. The centre also works to inform other countries about Minamata disease. The people in Japan learned the facts the hard way. Maybe their knowledge can prevent other future tragedies. The Institute tells of an interesting study. The study says that it will cost industry less money to take care of the environment, not destroy it. This is because nature provides so much.
Voice 3
‘The natural environment offers free, valuable services. If we continue to destroy the natural environment, we will have to pay for these free services.’
Voice 2
The tragedy at Minamata Bay in Japan caused much debate and concern worldwide. It encouraged people to develop environmental protection plans. Before Minamata disease, people did not know the human health risks of industrial mercury waste. Studies of the Minamata Bay tragedy helped health groups to set guidelines. The guidelines state the safe level of mercury in food.
Voice 1
However, studies have shown that some fish contain high levels of methylmercury - above the safety guidelines. Amounts of methylmercury are greater in bigger fish - like shark, swordfish and tuna. These fish contain high levels of the poison from both natural and man made origins - such as releases from coal-fire power plants. Experts have become increasingly worried about the levels of mercury in our diets.
Voice 2
Experts are particularly concerned about mercury levels in pregnant women. Methylmercury can be damaging to the unborn child. The experts say that high levels of mercury in pregnant women can cause learning difficulties in their children. It can damage a child’s memory. One study stated that one in six American children experience high levels of mercury, even before they are born.
Voice 1
In January 2005, food companies in California agreed to use warning signs on foods with risk. But the US Tuna Foundation is resisting this measure. Tuna is one of the most popular kinds of fish. People often buy it in metal cans. Tuna is easy to cook and prepare. And, it has many healthy qualities. But, it also contains methylmercury. The Tuna Foundation does not want to put warning messages on cans because it claims that there is no need. It claims that other studies show that mercury levels in tuna are too low to be a health risk. Some health experts disagree.
Voice 2
The FDA is The Food and Drug Administration. It is the US government department responsible for making sure food is safe. The FDA says that some groups of people should avoid particular fish - including king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish and shark. These fish have high mercury levels. Young children should avoid eating these fish. And women who are pregnant, or soon to be pregnant, should also avoid these fish.
Voice 1
The FDA also tested tuna fish. Levels of mercury are lower in tuna. But high-risk groups of people still need to be careful. There are different kinds of tuna. The safest kind is the light tuna you buy in metal cans. But the FDA still advises pregnant women and children to eat no more than two cans in a week.
Voice 2
In Minamata Bay, the people did not know that they were eating poisonous fish. Studies from this have permitted governments and scientist’s knowledge to increase. Now, health groups are working to spread this knowledge to other groups. Only then will people be able to make safe, educated choices for themselves and their children.
Voice 1
The writer of today’s programme was Marina Santee. Computer users can find our programmes on our website at www.radio.english.net. This programme is called, ‘Mercury Poisoning.’
Số lượt thích:
0 người
em Thọ Cương kính chào thầy Hà