 |
 |
Sent to me by a colleague.... >=========================================== >P A N U P S >Pesticide Action Network Updates Service >=========================================== >Parkinson's Linked to Residential Pesticide Use > >August 4, 2000 > >A recent study of people newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease >has found that home pesticide use and exposure is associated with an >increased risk of developing the disease. The study, led by Lorene >Nelson, Ph.D., a neuroepidemiologist at Stanford University's School >of Medicine, in Palo Alto, California, is the largest ever of >individuals with newly diagnosed Parkinson's, and the first to show >an association between home pesticide use and the risk of developing >Parkinson's disease. The study's findings were presented in May >2000, at the American Academy of Neurology's 52nd Annual Meeting in >San Diego, and the full report is expected to be released in early >2001. > >Nelson and her colleagues questioned 496 people who were first >diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1994 and 1995 about their past use of >pesticides in their homes or gardens. The subjects were each asked >detailed questions about types of pesticides used, frequency of use, >and when they were first exposed to household and garden pesticides. >The researchers also asked subjects about their cigarette, alcohol >and coffee consumption. A control group of 541 people without the >disease were asked the same questions. > >When researchers compared the life histories of the subjects and the >control group, they found that people exposed to in-home >insecticides were 70% more likely to develop the disease than those >who had not been exposed. The average amount of time that people >reported being exposed to products in this category was 77 days. >Exposure to garden insecticides carried a 50% increased risk of the >disease, according to the study. Among herbicide users, risk of >developing Parkinson's increased as the number of days that people >were in contact with herbicides accumulated. Respondents who >reported handling or applying those products for up to 30 days were >40% more likely to develop the disease, whereas respondents that >reported higher levels of exposure, an average of 160 days, had a >70% increased risk of developing the disease. Exposure to >fungicides, while linked to other health problems, was not >determined to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease in this >study. > >According to Nelson, damage to nerve cells in a part of the brain >called the basal ganglia and subsequent deficiency in the >neurotransmitter dopamine leads to the balance and movement >difficulties characteristic of Parkinson's disease. People exposed >to chemicals that have a certain affinity to this region of the >brain may be at particular risk for developing the disease, says >Nelson. > >Source: Technical Report, Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition >Against the Misuse of Pesticides, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 2000. > >Contact: Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of >Pesticides, 701 E Street SE, Suite 200, Washington DC 20003; phone >(202) 543-5450; fax (202) 543-4791; http://www.beyondpesticides.org. > >PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and >reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the >mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North >America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to >advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide. > >You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations for our work >and all contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Visit >our extensive web site at http://www.panna.org to learn more about >getting involved. > >=========================================== >NOTE: Replies to the sender of this message >will not be read. > >To comment, send a message to: >[log in to unmask] > >To subscribe, send a blank message to: >[log in to unmask] > >To unsubscribe, send a blank message to: >[log in to unmask] > >Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) >49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA >Phone: (415) 981-1771 >Fax: (415) 981-1991 >Email: [log in to unmask] >Web: http://www.panna.org >=========================================== -- --------- My opinions are my own, NIP's opinions are theirs ---------- Simon J. Coles Email: [log in to unmask] New Information Paradigms Work Phone: +44 1344 753703 http://www.nipltd.com/ Work Fax: +44 1344 753742 =============== Life is too precious to take seriously ===============