mercury poisoning from industrially contaminated water and fish, often resulting in severe neurological disorders or death
Origin:
after Minamata, Jpn fishing village where first diagnosed
See Minamata disease in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A degenerative neurological disorder caused by poisoning with a mercury compound found in seafood obtained from waters contaminated with mercury-containing industrial waste.
Origin:
Origin: After Minamata, a town of western Kyushu, Japan