Parkinson's disease is a devastating degenerative neurological disorder for which there is no cure. Researchers continue to investigate possible causes of this condition, linking oxidative stress, inflammatory processes and head injuries thus far. A family history of Parkinson's disease is known to increase the risk by more than 350 percent. For years, pesticide exposure has been suspected to be a contributing factor. A large study conducted by scientists at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom determined that people with Parkinson's were more likely to have used pesticides regularly.
The study, titled the Geoparkinson Study, was funded by the European Commission and followed volunteers in Scotland, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Malta. They surveyed nearly 2000 people without Parkinsonian symptoms and over 700 people with symptoms concluding that high-exposure pesticide users such as farmers were 43 per cent more likely to suffer from Parkinson's, and low exposure hobby gardeners 9 percent more likely.
Although specific pesticides were not identified in this study, researchers suggest perhaps only 1 or 2 may be contributing to these findings. David Coggon of the University of Southampton, who is also chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, said that next he would like to see research looking at exposure to individual pesticides, and how they are used, to gain detailed data, rather than relying on people's memories about their pesticide use.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on August 30, 2006 03:09 PM
