Question

Minamata disease is caused due to long-term exposure to

• A. Inorganic mercury in soil
• B. Methyl mercury through aquatic food chains
• C. Lead in drinking water
• D. Arsenic in groundwater

Hint:

Important environmental diseases: \[ \boxed{ \begin{aligned} \text{Minamata disease} &\rightarrow \text{Methyl mercury}\\ \text{Itai-Itai disease} &\rightarrow \text{Cadmium}\\ \text{Blue baby syndrome} &\rightarrow \text{Nitrate} \end{aligned} } \]

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Identify the toxic agent.
Minamata disease is linked to mercury that has been converted into methyl mercury, an organic and far more toxic form.
Step 2: Trace how humans are exposed.
Methyl mercury builds up in fish and shellfish through biomagnification along the aquatic food chain, and people fall ill after eating this contaminated seafood over a long period.
Step 3: Rule out the other exposure routes.
Inorganic mercury in soil, lead in water and arsenic in groundwater cause different, well known conditions, not Minamata disease.
\[ \boxed{\text{Methyl mercury through aquatic food chains}} \]