A cadmium poisoning case which occurred in a small town located at the downstream of Jinxiu River in Toyama, Japan, killed approximately 100 people from 1947 to 1965. It occurred from the waste water from a zinc mine nearby the town which leaked into the river. More than 10 times higher level of cadmium was detected in the rice of this area comparing to the rice from other areas. Cadmium poisoning causes calcium disorder, weakening your bones and inducing pain.

In an accident related to mercury in Kyushu, Japan, residents who had contaminated seafood were poisoned by mercury. A total of 2,266 people were diagnosed of mercury poisoning in the Kumamoto area and Kagoshima area from 1953 to 1989, among which 938 people died. 25 people were diagnosed of mercury poisoning also in the Nikata area in 1968, among which five dies. People poisoned by mercury show symptoms like neural paralysis, brain damage, loss of eyesight, scoline, general paralysis, and coma.

Children living nearby a gold mine in the Zamfara State of northern Nigeria were exposed to lead poisoning. 2,000 children of 8 lead-contaminated areas suffered from lead poisoning, among which 400 died. The children were mostly exposed to lead by extracting minerals from mines or being nearby a family member who worked in a mine, coming home covered in dust caught from the mine. Lead poisoning can also occur from contaminated water or food. Children are more prone to exposure than adults.

In a festival in Wakayama, Japan, 67 people who had eaten curry suffered stomachache and nausea and were moved to the hospital. 4 people died among them. At first, the cause was thought to be from food poisoning, but potassium cyanide was detected in a test done by the police and the case was reexamined. The result confirmed that the symptoms were caused by arsenic. There was also a case related to arsenic in Ibaraki, Japan. Residents who used water from a well in Ibaraki complained of aching disabilities in their arms and legs. Highly concentrated arsenic which showed 440 times higher level than the standard amount was detected from the well after examination.