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Does this mean that my dad, who already HAS PD, should avoid pesticides such as home exterminator chemicals? Or does it mean that I should warn my brother and sister, out of concern for possible, very long-term effects of such exposure on their young children? Does the study assume long or short term exposures? Michael, son of Wayne 70/69/67 >>=========================================== >>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 >>=========================================== _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.