It added sodium phosphate (Na2HPO4) second as a stabilizer that Morinaga Milk Industry prevented the solidification of the dairy products which advanced of the oxidation in factories of the whole Japan country from about 1953 (Showa 28) and raised solubility in dry milk.

It used a thing of the reagent first grade which had high purity at the test phase, but it was changed for low industry of the purity at the time of the full-scale introduction for the reason of being cheap.

Because a large quantity of arsenic was included in the second sodium phosphate used in a manufacturing process of the canned dry milk (milk substitute) "Morinaga dried milk" which Tokushima factory (Ishii-cho, Myozai-gun, Tokushima prefecture) produced in 1955 (Showa 30), the baby of 13,000 who drank this became addicted to arsenic, and the dead due to more than 130 poisoning appeared, too.

In the production thing that attached to a duct in the process when originally Nippon Light Metal produced alumina from bauxite as for the material which called itself the second sodium phosphate used then, a large quantity of arsenic got mixed with sodium phosphate of the low purity.

This production thing passed to Matsuno medicine manufacture via plural companies and bleached it and was purified and was delivered to sale, Morinaga Milk Industry as the second sodium phosphate.

Case detection

It was treated rare disease at first in 1955 (Showa 30), but discovered that it was caused by dry milk made by Morinaga Milk Industry in the Okayama University medical department. On August 24, 1955 (Showa 30), it is reported to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (existing Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) at the time through Okayama and will be found out as a case.


The dried milk which was collected

Mother of the damage child

It hit the number of the victim whom the poisoning symptom (neuropathy, organ disorder) by the arsenic intake was given to with 12,344 people and, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the time of 1956 (Showa 31), am 130 deads. In addition, there were many patients that a satisfactory bailout was not taken at the time when the right of consumers was not established about the approved patient either.

However, it was the time when rapid economic growth in Japan was given top priority to in those days and the country stood on the Morinaga side and planned convergence.

The motion of meeting to follow included a weak point, and the exercise of victim has been suppressed. The case seemed to be over in this way.

Detection of aftereffects

However, 14 years later, the possibility that aftereffects remained to the victim was smoked out by people whom Professor HiroshIt Maruyama (the Osaka University medical department) instructed. The report was announced in Japanese Society of Public Health, and the case recurred.

Parents on the victim side expressed the highest possible thanks saying "a savior appeared".

Parents of the victim concentrate it again, and the meeting protecting the Morinaga child who is addicted to milk reopens activity.
Trial struggle and the boycott show big power in the fight.

All the members were found not guilty the Morinaga side at the first trial, but the prosecution appeals to a higher court.

The criminal trial continued until 1973 (Showa 48), but the judgment adopted a feeling of anxiety theory (新々過失論) in the foreknowledge possibility judgment of the fault, and Section Manager Tokushima factory former production one received a prison sentence. By the way, the trial example considered that a feeling of anxiety theory was adopted this judgment alone. Because judgment of the first trial was shocking, the victim side gave up a civil action, but, by the later restoration judgment, the victim side will push forward a civil trial profitably.

The issue of aftereffects became clear later, but the Morinaga side denied causation and responsibility for a long time on this occasion.

Morinaga recognizes a malignancy Editing
It is the whole civil trial of 1970 (Showa 45) that passed from outbreak for 15 years that the Morinaga side recognized a cause as an arsenic compound in milk.

It insisted to oneself on this occasion as the Morinaga side trusted a delivery supplier of the second sodium phosphate if there was not the Sorgfaltspflicht (the delivery supplier of the second sodium phosphate for the industry testifies, "It did not think that It use an industrial medicine for food possibly").

However, Japanese National Railways SendaIt Railway Bureau used the second sodium phosphate (Nippon Light Metal production) as a boiler cleaner of the steam locomotive later, but It detected arsenic by a quality check before the use, and the fact that It returned goods to (Japanese National Railways was for the state maintenance of the boiler of the steam locomotive with extreme caution) became clear.

The manner of Morinaga who insisted, "the quality check as the food is not necessary" was filliped strictly, and, in the 1960s, the boycott of the Morinaga product occurred. Morinaga was the company which exceeded Meiji, Snow Brand for the sales of dairy products, but it had been a trial for a long term, and the image damaging greatly dropped a share in those days without being able to finish wiping it. Because the distrust of Morinaga product remained to the consumers after a case firmly in Okayama in particular, the store which did not treat the Morinaga product not to be able to anticipate of sales at all existed much.

In the West Japan whole area, such movement continued until the 1975 generation when a case watched a tentative end.

Such the non-buying and selling campaign was performed as voluntary exercise of supporters including the Morinaga accusation at first, but It greatly opened after being decided as meeting whole Japan country headquarters policy to protect to be opposed to insincere correspondence of Morinaga, and calling the nation and became greatest in history of non-buying and selling exercise of Japan.

The meeting to protect decided the cancellation of the non-buying and selling exercise afterwards since It announced that Morinaga cooperated with victim relief in acknowledgment of responsibility totally.

Current Infants K to 12 attacking by Brain Device below, Chemical use at the past above.