The Itai-itai disease occurred in which country due to cadmium pollution?

• A. France
• B. Japan
• C. Canada
• D. Mexico

Answer: (B)

It relates to cadmium toxicity from industrial pollution that was observed in Japan. Itai-itai disease emerged in the Jintsu River basin, with outbreaks centered in Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures, during the mid-20th century. Cadmium discharged from mining and smelting activities polluted water and soils, leading to chronic cadmium exposure in people who relied on those resources. The health effects included kidney damage and severe bone pain, progressing to osteomalacia and fractures—the symptoms that gave the disease its name, which means “it hurts” in Japanese. This case is a classic example of how environmental contamination with a heavy metal can cause systemic illness in a community, informing industrial practices and chemical-control efforts worldwide.