Minamata disease--so called because the effects of mercury poisoning were first recognized there--were in Japan in Minamata Bay. The effects were seen some (I don't remember how many) years later in Dryden, Ontario, when Native people were diagnosed as having the same symptoms. Absolutely terrible effects that can make me cry to this day. Alfred Troyer wrote the book on it.

Didn't know that - thanks. The book about Minamata was by W. Eugene Smith, working for the Magnum photo agency at the time. The company's goons beat him up so badly when covering a protest by the victims that he was disabled for the rest of his life. Would that happen today? Probably not but I don't know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

Minamata did far more damage than the Fukushima plant has, so far.