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Forwarded Message: From: [log in to unmask] (Noel A. Taylor) Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative Subject: Metal Exposure Link to Parkinson's Date: Tue, 01 Apr 97 11:36:55 GMT Organization: Hoosier Online Services Metal Exposure Link to Parkinson's NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Job-related exposures to metals such as copper and manganese over a period of years may increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to Michigan researchers. "This is the first study to link work-related exposure of 20 years or more to specific metals with any chronic neurodegenerative disorder," said Dr. Jay M. Gorell, the lead author of the study. "Our findings suggest that chronic occupational exposure to these metals is associated with Parkinson's disease, and that the metals may act alone or together over time in some patients to help produce the disease." Gorell heads the division of movement disorders in the department of neurology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Previous research has shown that chronic exposure to metals may be involved in the neurological disorder, but the new study is the largest of its kind to show that certain metals may act alone or in combination to trigger the disease. The study appears in this month's issue of Neurology. Although the precise mechanism by which these metals may affect the brain over time is unknown, they may promote several destructive processes in certain areas of the brain. The study involved Parkinson's patients and healthy controls who were compared based on their reported occupational exposures to iron, copper, manganese, mercury, zinc, and lead. Those with more than 20 years of work-related exposure to copper or manganese had a significantly higher risk of Parkinson's than those with lesser or different exposures. Those with combinations of exposures including lead, copper, and iron were also significantly more at risk of developing Parkinson's, report the researchers. Workers in the chemical, iron, copper, paper, and pulp industries can be exposed to metals such as copper, zinc, iron, and magnesium. Parkinson's is a common degenerative brain disorder. Patients experience rigid muscles, frequent tremors of their arms and legs, and equilibrium disturbances. They typically develop a slow, shuffling way of walking, and facial expressions are greatly diminished. The study participants worked in a variety of jobs in which they had either direct or indirect occupational exposures to metals over many years. The researchers conclude that "these findings emphasize the potential importance of the chronic neurotoxicology of metals. Moreover, they raise the issue of vigilance needed in monitoring chronic metal exposure in the workplace." SOURCE: Neurology (1997;48:650-658)