Pesticide Levels In Blood Linked To Parkinson's Disease

[steven johnson]

Toxic etiologies of diseaaes like peripheral neuropathies related to heavy metal exposure have been broadened to Parkinsonism and pesticides.

ScienceDaily (July 14, 2009) — People with Parkinson’s disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

In a study appearing in the July issue of Archives of Neurology, researchers found the pesticide beta-HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) in 76 percent of people with Parkinson’s, compared with 40 percent of healthy controls and 30 percent of those with Alzheimer’s.

“There’s been a link between pesticide use and Parkinson’s disease for a long time, but never a specific pesticide,” said Dr. Dwight German, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and a senior author of the paper. “This is particularly important because the disease is not diagnosed until after significant nerve damage has occurred. A test for this risk factor might allow for early detection and protective treatment.”

These pesticides, which include the well-known DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), were widely used in the U.S. from the 1950s to the 1970s but are more tightly regulated now. They persist in the environment for years without breaking down. In the body, they dissolve in fats and are known to attack the type of brain nerves that die in Parkinson’s disease, the researchers said.

Pesticide Levels In Blood Linked To Parkinson's Disease

[Xipe Totec]

1. Thank you, this explains a lot! n/t

[hedgehog]

2. This is one of those reports which makes you jsut want to shake your

head. People with high levels of a pesticide known to cause nerve damage develop a brain disease. It should be obvious, but it's going to take many more such studies to move society to look at these chemicals.