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Environmental pesticides linked with Parkinson's <<...>> This report provides further evidence of the effect of environmental pesticides on Parkinson's disease (PD). Over a 10-year period, mortality rates associated with PD and ischaemic heart disease were compared across 58 Californian states, which had been ranked by pesticide use. The investigators found that mortality from PD, as the underlying cause of death, was 19-47% higher in states reporting the use of restricted agricultural pesticides compared with PD mortality in states reporting no use of restricted pesticides. Although no dose-response relationship was observed, the risk of dying from PD was correlated with percentage of land treated for the single year in which this data was analysed. This research therefore provides evidence that mortality from PD is correlated with environmental pesticide exposure. Source: Ritz B & Yu F. International J Epidemiology 2000;29:323-329. Updated September 2000.