Using complete sentences, describe the chain of events that caused the Minamata disaster between 1932 and 1968.

In 1932, the Chisso Corporation began dumping mercury into Minamata Bay on the southwest coast of Japan. In 1956, people began noticing symptoms caused by the degeneration of the nervous system that led to severe brain damage in many individuals. In 1959, researchers concluded that the damage was caused by mercury poisoning. In 1968, the company stopped using mercury. The Minamata disaster was the first officially recognized case of the industrial pollution of seawater.

Mercury was in the waste product dumped into Minamata Bay on a massive scale by a chemical plant. The mercury contaminated fish living in Minamata Bay. People ate the fish, were themselves contaminated, and became ill. Local bird life as well as domesticate animals also perished. In all, 900 people died and 2,265 people were certified as having directly suffered from mercury poisoning - now known as Minamata disease.