Smith is famous for the photographic works he produced while studying the effects of water pollution in Japan, in particular a discharge of mercury from a factory, which caused a poisoning tragedy among local inhabitants.
她說：「尤金．史密斯是一位能充分發揮人類愛的攝影家，他曾經前往日本九州島的水村，以三年的時間記錄當地飲水被一家化學工廠排出來的水銀汙染，導致居民中毒的悲慘實況。雖然史密斯在當地曾幾乎被暴徒打瞎，但他仍然在一九七五年出版『水』一書，詳盡報導這個悲劇。