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Combination of Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's Disease By Cat Lazaroff ROCHESTER, New York, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - A combination of two widely used agricultural pesticides - but neither one alone - creates in mice the exact pattern of brain damage that doctors see in patients with Parkinson's disease. The research offers the most compelling evidence yet that everyday environmental factors may play a role in the development of the disease. The scientists caution that more studies are necessary to explain the link, since it is probable that many factors contribute to a complex disease like Parkinson's. The researchers say it is unlikely that the pesticides on their own actually cause the disease... Here's the scientific abstract referred to: The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2000, 20(24):9207-9214 http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/24/9207 See the web-page for the whole text of the non-technical article: http://ens.lycos.com/ --- From P A N U P S, Pesticide Action Network Updates Service Parkinson's Disease Possibly Linked to Pesticide Exposure 1/2001: New science Mice exposed at low levels to a combination of pesticides develop symptoms behaviorally and anatomically very similar to Parkinson's disease in humans. The pesticides involved are paraquat and maneb, used on millions of acres in the US each year. http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/New/newstuff.htm#mouseparkinsons ================================================================= 1/2001: Combination of Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's Disease By Cat Lazaroff ROCHESTER, New York, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - A combination of two widely used agricultural pesticides - but neither one alone - creates in mice the exact pattern of brain damage that doctors see in patients with Parkinson's disease. The research offers the most compelling evidence yet that everyday environmental factors may play a role in the development of the disease. The scientists caution that more studies are necessary to explain the link, since it is probable that many factors contribute to a complex disease like Parkinson's. The researchers say it is unlikely that the pesticides on their own actually cause the disease. ... See the web-page for the whole text of the non-technical article: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-06.html Here's the scientific abstract referred to: The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2000, 20(24):9207-9214http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/24/9207 The Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic System as a Preferential Target of Repeated Exposures to Combined Paraquat and Maneb: Implications for Parkinson's Disease Mona Thiruchelvam1, Eric K. Richfield2, 6, Raymond B. Baggs5, 6, Arnold W. Tank3, and Deborah A. Cory-Slechta4, 6 1 Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, Departments of 2 Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 3 Pharmacology and Physiology, and 4 Environmental Medicine, the 5 Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, and the 6 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642 Experimental evidence supporting 1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium [paraquat (PQ)] as a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD) is equivocal. Other agricultural chemicals, including dithiocarbamate fungicides such as manganese ethylenebisdithiocarbamate [maneb (MB)], are widely used in the same geographical regions as paraquat and also impact dopamine systems, suggesting that mixtures may be more relevant etiological models. This study therefore proposed that combined PQ and MB exposures would produce greater effects on dopamine (DA) systems than would either compound administered alone. .... ============================================================================ 12/30/2000: Workplace Solvents May Intensify Parkinson's Disease ST. PAUL, MN Jobs involving the use of common solvents can put people at risk for developing symptoms of Parkinson's disease earlier in life and more severe disease symptoms throughout its course, according to a study in the September 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ... Researchers identified nine occupations within the study group that accounted for more than 91 percent of the hydrocarbon solvent exposure. The most common occupations of those exposed were petroleum, plastic and rubber workers. Other occupations found to have frequent hydrocarbon exposure were painters, engine mechanics and lithographers.... The study was designed to find differences between new patients at a Parkinson's clinic who had and had not experienced hydrocarbon exposure in their lives. The research also found that those with hydrocarbon exposure were mostly male and less educated than those who were not exposed.... You can read more at http://www.aan.com ===================== November 5, 2000Pesticide Found to Produce Parkinson's Symptoms in Rats By SANDRA BLAKESLEE EW ORLEANS, Nov. 4 - An organic pesticide widely used on home-grown fruits and vegetables and for killing unwanted fish in the nation's lakes and rivers produces all the classic symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rats that receive steady amounts of the chemical in their bloodstreams, scientists said today. While it is much too soon to say that the pesticide, rotenone, causes or contributes to Parkinson's disease in humans, the scientists said the finding was the best evidence thus far that chemicals in the environment may be factors in this devastating disease. ... You can read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/05/science/05PARK.html ========================================================================================================= Peter Montague: RACHELS ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY #635: Parkinson's ========================================================================= Thomas H. Maugh II, LOS ANGELES TIMES Medical Writer : Etiology of Parkinson's : Chemicals Called Main Cause of Parkinson's Disease: Genes trigger only a small number of cases, study finds: Pesticides are cited as possible culprit. ========================================================================== 5/2000: Michael J. Fox on Living with Parkinson's http://www.halftheplanet.com/diversions20.cfm========================================================= http://www.msnbc.com/news/359124.asp http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/aenews/Mar99AENews/Mar99AENews.htm ftp://ftp.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/1999-00/senate/5450-5474/5470_01251999 ---------------------------------Friday, 5 May, 2000, Parkinson's linked to insecticide use Parkinson's causes muscle tremor Exposure to insecticides in the home may double a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease, say researchers. Scientists suspect insecticide chemicals damage nerve cells in a vulnerable region of the brain, but cannot fully explain the link. Dr Lorene Nelson and colleagues at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, questioned 496 people newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about their past use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in the home and garden. Another group of 541 people without the disease were asked similar questions and the two sets of answers compared. Use of insecticides at home was associated with the greatest risk of developing the disease. Parkinson's patients were more than twice as likely to have been exposed to the chemicals than the healthy participants. .... Parkinson's is caused when brain cells that produce an important neurotransmitter, or message-carrying chemical, are destroyed. Dr Nelson said. "If we could understand why these neurons are being killed in certain circumstances, we can then try and prevent it." You can read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_738000/738020.stm ================================================================== From P A N U P S, Pesticide Action Network Updates ServiceParkinson's Linked to Residential Pesticide Use August 4, 2000 A recent study of people newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease has found that home pesticide use and exposure is associated with an increased risk of developing the disease. The study, led by Lorene Nelson, Ph.D., a neuroepidemiologist at Stanford University's School of Medicine, in Palo Alto, California, is the largest ever of individuals with newly diagnosed Parkinson's, and the first to show an association between home pesticide use and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The study's findings were presented in May 2000, at the American Academy of Neurology's 52nd Annual Meeting in San Diego, and the full report is expected to be released in early 2001. Nelson and her colleagues questioned 496 people who were first diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1994 and 1995 about their past use of pesticides in their homes or gardens. The subjects were each asked detailed questions about types of pesticides used, frequency of use, and when they were first exposed to household and garden pesticides. The researchers also asked subjects about their cigarette, alcohol and coffee consumption. A control group of 541 people without the disease were asked the same questions. When researchers compared the life histories of the subjects and the control group, they found that people exposed to in-home insecticides were 70% more likely to develop the disease than those who had not been exposed. The average amount of time that people reported being exposed to products in this category was 77 days. Exposure to garden insecticides carried a 50% increased risk of the disease, according to the study. Among herbicide users, risk of developing Parkinson's increased as the number of days that people were in contact with herbicides accumulated. Respondents who reported handling or applying those products for up to 30 days were 40% more likely to develop the disease, whereas respondents that reported higher levels of exposure, an average of 160 days, had a 70% increased risk of developing the disease. Exposure to fungicides, while linked to other health problems, was not determined to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease in this study. According to Nelson, damage to nerve cells in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia and subsequent deficiency in the neurotransmitter dopamine leads to the balance and movement difficulties characteristic of Parkinson's disease. People exposed to chemicals that have a certain affinity to this region of the brain may be at particular risk for developing the disease, says Nelson. Source: Technical Report, Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 2000. Contact: Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, 701 E Street SE, Suite 200, Washington DC 20003; phone (202) 543-5450; fax (202) 543-4791; http://www.beyondpesticides.org. PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide. You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations for our work and all contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Visit our extensive web site at http://www.panna.org to learn more about getting involved. (Email: panna@panna.org) ============================================================================== 10/2000: Jobs 'linked to Parkinson's' Risky jobs: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_920000/920390.stm Monday, 11 September, 2000, 23:38 GMT 00:38 UK Mechanics are one of the at risk groups People who work with solvents such as petrol or rubber have a high risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study. They are also more likely to show symptoms of the disease early in life and risk developing a more severe form of the disease than those who do not work with solvents. The study, carried out by researchers in Italy, suggests that the risks are greatest among people who work with hydrocarbon solvents. These solvents are found in common petroleum-based products such as paints, glues and rubber. As a result, the researchers suggest that painters, mechanics and printers are some of the most "at risk" jobs. Others at risk of developing the disease are people working with petroleum, rubber and plastic. ....
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