A Japanese couple affected by Minamata Disease, caused by poisoning with a form of mercury, has called on more countries to get involved in the global fight against pollution of water with the substance under a 2013 international convention.
Hideki and Suemi Sato said they hoped people in the world will learn more about the dangers of mercury, in a speech they delivered jointly at a meeting of participants in the Minamata Convention on Mercury in Geneva on Monday.
"Once we are exposed to mercury, we cannot escape this disease for the rest of our lives. We must live with pain and suffering," Suemi, 67, told the fifth meeting of the parties of the convention.