Medical tests started in the 1940s and 1950s, searching for the cause of the disease. Initially, it was expected to be lead poisoning due to the lead mining upstream. Only in 1955 did Dr. Ogino and his colleagues suspect cadmium as the cause of the disease. Ogino coined the term itai-itai disease.
Salix babylonica, commonly called weeping willow or Babylon weeping willow, is a medium to large deciduous tree with a stout trunk topped by a graceful broad-rounded crown of branches that sweep downward to the ground.It grows to 30-50â (sometimes to 60â) tall and as wide.It is native to China.alix babylonica, commonly called weeping willow or Babylon weeping willow, is a medium to large deciduous tree with a stout trunk topped by a graceful broad-rounded crown of branches that sweep downward to the ground. It grows to 30-50â (sometimes to 60â) tall and as wide. It is native to China.
The weeping willow tree, a member of the Salicaceae family, can be planted in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 through 9. They can grow from 45 to 70 feet high, and a healthy willow tree will produce a canopy in a width equal to its height. A diseased willow tree, however, may lose its leaves until the disease is identified and corrected.