Parkinson's Disease and Chemical Exposure

Study Links Parkinson's Disease With Chemical Exposure

Not surprisingly, long-term exposure to pesticides has now been linked to Parkinson's disease as scientists have now discovered new evidence supporting that connection.

Symptoms of Parkinson's disease, tremors and muscle rigidity that affects movements like walking, talking and writing, usually first appear in patients over 50. Over half a million Americans deal with Parkension's disease, and as much as 50,000 are being diagnosed with it every year.

A recent study of people with Parkinson's found that they were more than two times as likely to have had heavy exposure to pesticides in their liftime than other members of their family. Heavy exposure is defined as more than 215 days over a lifetime.

This is not a completely new discovery, as prior studies have pointed to a possible link between Parkinson's and pesticide expoure. Pesticides may be contributing to nerve cell death in some people who have Parkinson's.

The strongest correlations were for people with Parkinson's who had been exposed to herbicides and insecticides. The participants in the study tended to be people who used a lot of pesticides in their homes and in their hobbies.

This won't be the last research on the subject, as scientists have yet to understand the biological mechanism that links the two together. Future research will focus on the influence of pesticides being a trigger for the disease in people who are genetically predisposed.