Morinaga arsenic milk poisoning incident (Morinaga arsenic milk poisoning incident) - Morinaga arsenic milk poisoning incident

Japanese: 森永ヒ素ミルク中毒事件(森永砒素ミルク中毒事件) - もりながひそミルクちゅうどくじけん

In 1955, an incident of arsenic poisoning occurred in Western Japan among bottle-fed children who had consumed powdered milk produced by Morinaga Milk Industry's Tokushima Factory. According to a 1956 Ministry of Health and Welfare investigation, the number of victims was approximately 12,000 (131 of whom died), but the actual number is said to be several times higher. The cause was a fake product containing a large amount of arsenic, which was used as a stabilizer in milk at the time. In the criminal trial, the Tokushima District Court found the production manager and factory manager not guilty in the first instance in 1963, but after the appeal court remanded the case and the Supreme Court upheld the appeal court ruling, a retrial was held in 1970 at the Tokushima District Court, and on November 28, 1973, the District Court found Morinaga criminally responsible and sentenced the former production manager to three years in prison (the former factory manager was acquitted), and the sentence was finalized.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1955年，西日本一帯で，森永乳業徳島工場製造の粉ミルクを飲用した人工栄養児の間で発生したヒ素中毒事件。厚生省の調べ(1956)だけでも被害者約1万2000人(うち131人死亡)に及び，実情はその数倍ともいわれている。原因は当時ミルクの安定剤として使用されていた第二リン酸ソーダ(リン酸水素二ナトリウム)がヒ素を大量に含んだ偽物であったことによる。刑事裁判は，63年の一審(徳島地裁)判決では，起訴された当時の製造課長，工場長とも無罪とされたが，控訴審における差戻し判決，最高裁による控訴審判決の支持を経て70年から徳島地裁でやり直し裁判が行われ，73年11月28日，同地裁は森永側の刑事責任を認め，元製造課長に禁錮3年の実刑判決(元工場長は無罪)を下し，確定した。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Nagayoshi Mori

>>: Molina, Mario