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Here's the abstract for the poster I presented back in 1995, at a conference on the role of the environment in pd, which was held at NIEHS at Research Triangle Park in NC. ------------------ AN ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH: INTEGRATING THE USE OF ON-LINE RESOURCES FOR THE CORRELATION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DATA Parkinson's Disease is generally considered to be a relentlessly progressive disease of the nervous system, which ultimately results in physical debilitation and dependence for the victim. The majority of Parkinson's related treatment and research focusses on symptomatic relief, via drug therapies, fetal transplants, genetic therapy, pallidotomies, etc. In the past, this sort of focus was both prudent and sufficient, allowing victims, primarily in their senior years, to live out those years as activiely as possible. As the median age of the onset of PD decreases, as will be contended later, the focus of PD research should adjust accordingly, with greater emphasis being put on addressing the root causes of PD, its prevention, and methods to slow or even halt its progression. Not only would this proactive vs reactive approach possibly eliminate much human suffering, it provides a cost benefit to society, especially considering the decades over which PD's many younger vvictims may require specialized medical care and disability benefits, not to mention loss of income. A common denominator affecting the understaing of disease causes, prevention and progression, and which itself demands further inquiry, is the role of environmental factors. There is a growing awareness that the toxic byproducts of human activity are not only adversely affecting wildlife and a remote, external nature, but that they are also affecting human health and quality of life. It is imperative that this possible link between environmental factors, particularly with regard to human generated toxins, and any subsequent health effects be addressed. While the issues involved are complex, as well as are any solutions, should these factors be shown to plaoy a role in the disease processes, to ignore them is folly. Regardless of the theorized genetic susceptibilities of the victims, either to the disease itself or to the toxin(s), concentration solely on the aspect of fixing the deficient victim, especially after he/she is already incapacitated, rather than fixing a deficient and possibly toxic environment, does not represent a cure, but rather a band-aid, masking rather than resolving the underlying problem, which remains to exert its negative influence. It may well be determined that there are as many causes as there are victims, but nevertheless, it is proposed here that exposure over time to an abundance of varied and potentially toxic man-made chemicals eventually has a cumulative and synergistic effect on living organisms, often leading to devastatiing health problems such as Parkinson's Disease. In keeping with the theme of a new environmental focus for PD research, is the related ideas of the incorporation of the 'newest' available resources into the search for answers to these complex issues. Just as the questions and the solutiona surrounding the proposed role of the environment in the etiology of disease are inherently complex due to their relationship to almost all areas of modern civilization, the only comprehensive way to undberstand all aspects of this role is to make use of the wealth of existing information created by this infrastructure to correlate the data generated by standard scientific research methodology. THis information is readily and abundantly available via on-line resources, in the form of searchable: Databases, Archives, Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, BOoks, News Services, Bulletin Boards, and Listserv email discussion groups dedicated to specific topics such as PD. Information in the forms listed aboveis provided by sources ranging from government institutions such as: (leaving blank for now - tired of typing); to other organizations/sources such as: (also blank for now). This presentation will demonsrate some of these resources, give examples of some of the actual data found, and how this data can be used to correlate scientific research data. An argument for the role of the environment in the etiology of PD will be explored using this set of data. It wil also be pointed out that use of these already existing resoures of information has benefit in that it is cost-effective, facilitates the exchange of information across many seemingly disparate yet interrelated perspectives, prevents duplication of information, and minimizes the need for the use of animals in research.