Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident

Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident was a significant event in the history of public health and food safety in Japan. It occurred in 1955 when powdered milk produced by the Morinaga Milk Industry Co. was contaminated with arsenic, leading to mass poisoning.

Background

The Morinaga Milk Industry Co. is a leading dairy product company in Japan, established in 1917. The company is known for its wide range of products, including powdered milk, which was the product involved in the arsenic poisoning incident.

Incident

In 1955, a batch of powdered milk produced by Morinaga was contaminated with arsenic. The contamination was due to an error in the manufacturing process, where industrial-grade sodium hydroxide containing arsenic was used instead of food-grade sodium hydroxide. This resulted in the production of powdered milk that contained high levels of arsenic.

Impact

The incident led to the poisoning of thousands of infants and young children who consumed the contaminated milk. Symptoms of the poisoning included vomiting, diarrhea, and skin changes. In severe cases, the poisoning led to death. The incident is considered one of the worst cases of mass poisoning in Japan.

Aftermath

The Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident led to significant changes in Japan's food safety regulations. It highlighted the need for stricter controls in the manufacturing process of food products and led to the implementation of more rigorous testing and quality control measures.

See also

• Food safety
• Public health
• Arsenic poisoning