Here's the abstract for the poster I presented back in 1995, at a
conference on the role of the environment in pd, which was held at NIEHS
at Research Triangle Park in NC.


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AN ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH:  INTEGRATING
THE USE OF ON-LINE RESOURCES FOR THE CORRELATION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
DATA


Parkinson's Disease is generally considered to be a relentlessly
progressive disease of the nervous system, which ultimately results in
physical debilitation and dependence for the victim.  The majority of
Parkinson's related treatment and research focusses on symptomatic
relief, via drug therapies, fetal transplants, genetic therapy,
pallidotomies, etc.  In the past, this sort of focus was both prudent
and sufficient, allowing victims, primarily in their senior years,  to
live out those years as activiely as possible.  As the median age of the
onset of PD decreases, as will be contended later, the focus of PD
research should adjust accordingly, with greater emphasis being put on
addressing the root causes of PD, its prevention, and methods to slow or
even halt its progression.  Not only would this proactive vs reactive
approach possibly eliminate much human suffering, it provides a cost
benefit to society, especially considering the decades over which PD's
many younger vvictims may require specialized medical care and
disability benefits, not to mention  loss of income.

A  common denominator affecting the understaing of disease causes,
prevention and progression, and which itself demands  further inquiry,
is the role of environmental factors.  There is a growing awareness that
the toxic  byproducts of human activity are not only adversely affecting
wildlife and a remote, external nature, but that they are also affecting
human health and quality of life.  It is imperative that this possible
link between environmental factors, particularly with regard to human
generated toxins, and any subsequent health effects be addressed.  While
the issues involved are complex, as well as are any solutions, should
these factors be shown to plaoy a role in the disease processes, to
ignore them is folly.  Regardless of the theorized genetic
susceptibilities of the victims, either to the disease itself or to the
toxin(s), concentration solely on the aspect of fixing the deficient
victim, especially after he/she is already incapacitated, rather than
fixing a deficient  and possibly toxic environment, does not represent a
cure, but rather a band-aid, masking rather than resolving the
underlying problem, which remains to exert its negative influence.  It
may well be determined that there are as many causes as there are
victims, but nevertheless, it is proposed here that exposure over time
to an abundance of varied and potentially toxic man-made chemicals
eventually has a cumulative and synergistic  effect on living organisms,
often leading to devastatiing health problems such as Parkinson's
Disease.

In keeping with the theme of a new environmental focus for PD research,
is the related ideas of the incorporation of the 'newest' available
resources into the search for answers  to these complex issues.  Just as
the questions and the solutiona surrounding the  proposed role of the
environment in the etiology of disease are inherently complex due to
their relationship to almost all areas of modern civilization, the only
comprehensive way to undberstand all aspects of this role  is to make
use of the wealth of existing information created by this infrastructure
to correlate the data generated by standard scientific research
methodology.   THis information is readily and abundantly available via
on-line resources, in the form of searchable:  Databases, Archives,
Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, BOoks, News Services, Bulletin Boards,
and Listserv  email discussion groups dedicated to specific topics such
as PD.

Information in the forms listed aboveis provided by sources ranging from
government institutions such as: (leaving blank for now - tired of
typing);   to other organizations/sources such as:  (also blank for
now).

This presentation will demonsrate some of these resources, give examples
of some of the actual data found, and how this data can be used to
correlate scientific research data.   An argument  for the role of the
environment in the etiology of PD will be explored using this set of
data.  It wil also be pointed out that use of these already existing
resoures of information has benefit in that it is cost-effective,
facilitates the exchange of information across many seemingly disparate
yet interrelated perspectives, prevents duplication of information, and
minimizes the need for the use of animals in research.