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The following was just put out by Reuters: Iowa farmers at risk for disease, newspaper reports DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - National and state health researchers are delving into whether farm chemicals used on corn and other crops in Iowa may be the cause of high rates of Parkinson's disease there, the Des Moines Register reported on Sunday. The newspaper report comes after a national study suggesting Iowans are far more likely than most Americans to contract the debilitating brain disease. Iowa is the largest U.S. corn producing state. The Parkinson's Institute is sending investigators to Iowa this spring to compare rural residents who have the disease with those who don't, the newspaper said. Researchers will examine the types of chemicals used on crops and for home use. Researchers also plan to take soil samples, the newspaper reported. Iowa State University researchers are studying whether or not a pesticide called dieldrin may play a role in the disease. Dieldrin was used by U.S. corn farmers before its ban in the 1970s. The newspaper quotes lead Iowa State University investigator Anumantha Kanthasamy as saying that research shows that Parkinson's patients were more likely than other people to have traces of dieldrin in their bodies after death. The chemical can remain in the ground and in people years after it is applied to crops, Kanthasamy said. The newspaper said the strongest evidence of rural residents' risks was found in a 1999 study by the National Parkinson Foundation that charted the number of people receiving prescriptions for L-dopa, the main treatment for the disease. The study found that Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas had rates that were about twice the national average of 1 Parkinson's case per 250 residents. No other state had as many. 12:09 01-14-01 Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.