Proceedings of NIMD Forum

Report of NIMDForum2009
○しろまる Date: February 18 (Wed), 2009: Study visit
February 19 (Thu)〜February 20 (Fri), 2009: Forum
○しろまる Venue: Minamata Disease Archives, National Institute for Minamata Disease
○しろまる Main Theme: " Methylmercury and n-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA)
exposure from fish consumption"

Our institute, National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) conducts international forums (NIMD Forum) annually to discuss researches regarding mercury, and invites specialists from all over the world.
This year, the specialists presented their latest researches concerning methylmercury and n-3PUFA from fish consumption. Especially, they discussed the concrete methods to reduce the risks of mercury with maintaining the merits from fish consumption, especially for pregnant women.
This time, as Japanese and English simultaneous interpretation system was first introduced, the participants could understand and join to the discussion both in English and Japanese. Then, total of about 110 people (the largest number of participants in the last several years) took part in the Forum and they received useful information.
We sincerely thank to all the speakers and the participants.
The 9th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP) will be
held in Guiyang, Guizhow province, China in June 2009. In this conference, NIMD are going to organize a Special Session by our financial support. Therefore, this NIMD Forum 2009 was also held as a pre-session for the 9th ICMGP.
The participants of the Study visit could learn the environmental-control policies from Minamata city and nearby Minamata cities by the support of Kumamoto Prefecture as a Co-Organizer.

○しろまる Outline of Programme

February 18 (Wed) : Study visit

• Izumi Shoji recycling factory in Yatusiro city (10:00 am)
• Tanaka Shoten Minamata office (11:00 am)
• Lunch break at Crane watching restaurant in Izumi city
• RBS Tukinoura Center (14:00 pm)
• Chisso factory head office in Minamata city (15:00 pm)

According to the schedule above, the participants visited a mercury disposal facility, Eco-town, a facility which makes fertilizer from sludge, Chisso factory, and others. The pictures show the participants at Tanaka Shoten which recycles used bottles and at Crane watching restaurant.

February 19 (Thu)〜February 20 (Fri): Forum

• Opening Remark 9:30 am〜9:45 am
• Session1 February 19 (Thu) 9:45 am〜11:45 am
• Chairman Dr. Mineshi Sakamoto (NIMD, Japan)
  Dr. Laurie.H.M.Chan (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada)

• The relationships between mercury exposure and health effects of schoolchildren near the facilities emitting mercury in Korea
  Dr. Kim Guen Bae (National Institute of Environmental Research, Korea)
• Hair mercury: methylmercury exposure in current Japanese
  Dr. Akira Yasutake (NIMD, Japan)
• Mercury exposure from fish consumption within the Japanese and Korean communities
  Ms. Ami Tsuchiya (University of Washington, USA)

• Session2 February 19 (Thu) 13:10 pm〜16:50 pm
• Chairman Dr. Kathryn R. Mahaffey (George Washington University, USA)
  Dr. Hiroshi Satoh (Tohoku University, Japan)

• Relationship of methylmercury (MeHg) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in pregnant women and fetuses
  Dr. Mineshi Sakamoto (NIMD, Japan)
• Prenatal low levels mercury exposure on infant development: a prospective study in Zhoushan Islands, China
  Dr. Chong-Huai Yan Yu Wang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China)
• Cohort study of the effects of perinatal exposure to methylmercury and POPs on development of infants in Japan; an interim report of Tohoku Study of child development
  Dr. Hiroshi Satoh (Tohoku University, Japan)
• Methylmercury exposure, seafood intake and health risks in Faroese populations
  Dr. Philippe Grandjean (University of South Denmark, Denmark)
• Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury, and child cognition at age 3 years in a US cohort
  Dr. Robert O. Wright (Harvard University, USA)
• Omega-3 fatty acids and methylmercury in diet: sources, effects, and public health considerations
  Dr. Kathryn Mahaffey (George Washington University, USA)

• Summary for the 1st day Dr. Laurie. H.M. Chan, Dr. Hiroshi Satoh

• Session3 February 20 (Fri) 9:00 am〜12:10 pm
• Chairman Dr. Mineshi Sakamoto (NIMD, Japan)
  Dr. Laurie. H.M. Chan (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada)

• Potential contamination of mercury from artisanal gold mining in the Talawaan watershed area, north Sulawesi, Indonesia
  Dr. Markus T. Lasut (Sam Ratulangi University, Indonesia)
• Mercury in hair as a diagnostic indicator of exposure to the metal in a coastal population in Venezuela Dr. Rojas Maritza (University of Carabobo, Venezuela)
• Hair mercury investigation of mercury  polluted area around the world
  Dr. Masatake Fujimura (NIMD, Japan)
• Methylmercury exposure from fish consumption among communities near Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes(ERVLs)
  Dr. Solomon Aragie (Hawassa University, Ethiopia)
• Clinical evaluation of mercury exposure in riverside from Tapajos Basin, in the Amazon
  Dr. Maria da Conceicao (UFPA, Brazil)

• Summary Dr. Laurie. H.M. Chan, Dr. Mineshi Sakamoto
• Closing Remark 12:10 pm〜12:20 pm