Parkinson's: The Pesticide Link

[ensho]

http://www.onearth.org/article/parkinsons-the-pesticide-link


Scientists are closing in on an inescapable conclusion: Pesticides may be a cause of Parkinson's disease


-snip-

A January 2009 consensus statement from CHE, in collaboration with the Parkinson's Action Network, a patient advocacy group, found that there was "limited suggestive evidence of an association" between pesticides and Parkinson's, and between farming or agricultural work and Parkinson's. This followed by just a few months the publication of Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging, a report co-authored by the Science and Environmental Health Network, a consortium of advocacy groups based in Ames, Iowa; it included a summary of 31 population studies that have looked at the possible connection between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's. Twenty-four of those studies, according to the report, found a positive association, and in 12 cases the association was statistically significant. In some studies, the group found, there was as much as a sevenfold greater risk of Parkinson's in people exposed to pesticides. In addition, in April 2009, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), published a provocative study connecting the disease not only to occupational pesticide exposure but also to living in homes or going to schools that were close to a pesticide-treated field.

Taken together, 30-plus years of research add up to an increasingly persuasive conclusion: exposure to pesticides and other toxins increases the risk of Parkinson's disease, and we are only now beginning to wrestle with the true scope of the damage.

-very long snip detailing how they reached this conclusion-

Scientists also observed these symptoms in groups of people exposed to unrelated compounds, such as heavy metals. One in particular, manganese, was implicated in a 2006 study of residents of the steelmaking town of Hamilton, Ontario, who had a higher-than-expected rate of Parkinson's disease. Investigators attributed this to the manganese content of particulate air pollution from factory emissions. It turns out that manganese is an ingredient in the widely used fungicide Maneb.

But pesticides remain the clearest culprit. One study found that in the brains of people who had died of Parkinson's disease, the substantia nigra had higher levels of Dieldrin (an organochlorine pesticide no longer approved for use in the United States) and of lindane (an insecticide occasionally still used to treat scabies and lice) than did the brains of people who had died of other causes. Laboratory studies have also provided important clues to the connection between pesticides and brain damage. When human brain cells are grown in culture and exposed to a variety of chemicals, several widely used pesticides -- in particular, Paraquat and Rotenone, a natural pesticide approved for use in organic foods -- have been shown to cause increased levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein in the substantia nigra, similar to the levels that are seen in people with Parkinson's disease.
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the Barons don't care, never have, never will.

may all the Barons fall down.

[varelse]

1. My aunt is slowly dying from this

she was diagnosed in her early 50's, after first being told her problems were caused entirely by excessive alcohol consumption. The medical "professional" who told her that was later forced to personally apologize to her.

[area51]

2. Does your aunt have some other underlying condition?

It's my understanding from looking at information on sites like webmd.com, that Parkinson's affects your quality of life, but won't kill you.

[bettyellen]

4. "effects quality of life" is an understatement- and there are rarer forms that kill fairly quickly

my Dad had that kind, and it;s an ugly sad way to go.

[lindisfarne]

5. For someone who knows a person in advanced PD, they are dead. There are some promising

ways to slow it down and compensate for it that are available to people with good health insurance.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. It weakens the immune system

My dad finally caught a cold that turned into pneumonia and he died. But his death certificate listed Parkinsons as the cause of death.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. My dad died from it

It definitely kils. It's a long slow death.

[CountAllVotes]

3. I have a cousin dying from this

he is in his 70s and is "very ill" I was told. He worked in the agricultural industry in Indiana.

:(

:kick: & recommend!

[lindisfarne]

6. Pesticide exposure isn't the only cause of PD. But it should make people think twice

about using them - I wouldn't have them anywhere on my property (unfortunately, I can't stop neighbors from using them and the wind may blow them onto my property).

Same with insecticides, herbicides. We haven't found as clear a link as with pesticides, but there is solid research showing some chemicals used in them have neurological effects in non-human mammal species and the basic biology is minimally different across various mammals.

It is almost certainly a case of environment interacting with heredity, and effects are subtle and/or can take years to show - which is why the research is so difficult to do.

However, given the complete unnecessary use in most cases of these products, people are completely nuts to have them in their homes. If you call in folks like ORKIN, you're risking your family members' well-being.

If you live in termite areas, I feel for you. However, they are coming up with less toxic alternatives than the tenting of the entire home and use of highly toxic substances that coat everything.

We're already outlawing many of these, and hopefully, will continue to do so. I suspect that in 20 years time, a large number of the commonly-used ones will no longer be available.

You also need to worry about the inert ingredients which legally don't have to be listed. In the case of round-up, there is evidence that they are highly damaging. (Round-up is touted as the "safe-alternative" - it may be safer than other similar chemicals, but it is far from safe. That's like saying going into a burning building is safer than standing in front of a firing squad.)

[kath]

9. We have really limited the use of chemicals in our yard, particularly pesticides. But now we have a

problem - TICKS. Major tick problem, even though we have only a small yard located in a subdivision. First time it's been an issue in the 16 years we've lived here. I worked briefly in the yard twice last week -- 1st time I was shocked to find a tick on me before going to bed. A few days later found 4 of 'em embedded in me after doing just a little bit of weeding that day -- GROSS!
Something's gotta be done here. I'm not at all bug-phobic, and we love seeing the beneficial bugs in our yard, but ticks are a different matter. Tick-borne diseases are very serious. I've got plants I need to get into the ground, but I hate the thought of going out there and being attacked by ticks. We enjoy sitting out on the patio at night, but now are not wanting to do that.
What would be the best approach?

[lindisfarne]

18. Look on google. If it's not deer ticks, certain diseases (including lyme) are not an issue.

It could be there are simply more out there this year.

Before considering pesticides, ask youself whether the ticks justify the risk from using pesticides.

I, too, dislike ticks, but dislike risking my brain even more!

[Mari333]

7. makes me wonder

about neurological anomalies..like fibromyalgia, MS,Parkinsons...and the uptick in those.

[glitch]

16. Long suspected a connection. :( nt

[Mrs. Overall]

8. My grandfather had Parkinson's and he was a farmer/rancher from 1920-1955--

in the late 40's and early 50's he began using pesticides/herbicides because it was the "modern" thing to do.

[customerserviceguy]

10. And my father has Parkinson's

even though he's never worked in a farming job, or used excessive amounts of pesticides in the yard. I would suppose that Michael J. Fox hasn't done a lot of agricultural work, either.

Shit happens, and while it's fun to find a deep pocket to blame it all on, it still doesn't change the fact that we're all going to either get injured or sick and die some day.

[bettyellen]

14. no one ever said "excessive use" and Parkinson's, as you may know, can get pretty ugly

so if it's preventable, why not?

[customerserviceguy]

25. I'll believe that when it is duplicated in peer-reviewed studies

The organization that runs the website referred to always has an axe to grind with modern living.

[bettyellen]

35. well it's not the first study. and my mom's old doc, who knows well all the research that's gone

on (for at least the last 25 years) in the area of degenerative brain diseases told me to to watch out for pesti- and fungicides ages ago. He has been right about every single thing that;s happened with AZ research in the last ten years- totally knew what treatments weren;t panning out and what is promising. So I totally trust him on it. He said there are just too many clusters internationally for it to be a coinkydink, and he;s a brilliant guy, so I'm not going to argue. I happen to be a gardener, so I may be sparing myself a few braincells. I'd be a fool not to.

[lindisfarne]

19. Are you advocating for not reducing risk? PD can have more than one cause.

Heredity can interact with environment to increase the likelihood of PD developing.

There may be cases of PD where it seems to be strictly heredity or no environmental cause can be identified. However, when environmental factors do seem to increase the risk, shouldn't we learn what we can to take steps to limit their effects?

We give people tetanus shots to reduce the number of deaths from tetanus - are you opposed to them, too?

[customerserviceguy]

26. While in general, everyone should limit exposure to chemicals that are biocides

that might include soap. Are you opposed to it?

Of course I'm not opposed to tetanus shots, they have been formulated to give people immunity to tetanus, and there have been scientific studies that are repeatable to show the link between vaccination and the prevention of tetanus.

One study published by a website that tries to indict many normal, benign activities of everyday living is not enough to convince me of anything.

[lindisfarne]

27. I am very careful as to what soap I buy for my home. The research on PD

and the link to pesticides is far more than one study. The research on the link between PD & pesticides has been ongoing since the 1980s.

Google it! or better yet, use PubMed.

[jmowreader]

24. Michael J. Fox moved to the LA Basin in 1979

You can't even grow weeds in LA without a lot of chemicals.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. My dad grew up in farm country

he got Parkinson's in his 50s.

[glitch]

15. I remember kids running behind the ddt sprayer trucks in the 60s in suburban Illinois

I wonder how they are now, 40+ years later.

[argyl]

17. As did kids in Houston. I was one of them. No Parkinson's,knock on wood.

[glitch]

22. Glad to hear at least one of you is OK! nt

[undeterred]

23. I was made to stay in the house

when the trucks were spraying in the 60s in suburban Illinois and I am fine. They don't spray where I live now, and mosquitoes rule.

[condoleeza]

28. I could write a book about environmental toxins

I now have 2 siblings who have taken their own lives. I am the youngest of 10 children born onto a farm in Minnesota, that we left when I was 3. We lost the farm because of crop failures and when my father couldn't pay the loans for pesticides and fertilizers provided by Monsanto, the banks were happy to foreclose, my father always believed Monsanto was in league with the banks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto It was a legend to me as a child, and my parents at this point were pretty crazy so I pretty much dismissed anything they said. I don't remember MN much, but because of all that has happened to my family since then I have done a lot of research on my family and gone back to MN to see the farm and meet my relatives and hear their stories.

Our father went blind in his 60's, our mother was crippled with arthritis most of her life. Both of them were certifiably mentally ill. Child #9 was the first to kill herself. She was in constant pain with "fibromyalgia", and I put it in quotes because it is one of those diseases that is a rule-out diagnosis and from all I know of it, it is yet another disease western med and the drug companies just make money from w/no attempt to cure. When you are in constant pain you do what you can afford to deal with it and alcohol seems to work, it is the least expensive route and doesn't involve a prescription, so she drank and when she ran out of hope and money she hung herself in '98. Child #7 killed himself in 2006, he had multiple auto-immune diseases, was an alcoholic, as were (I found out on my trip to MN) many of my relatives.

Backtrack to child #9, which is why I responded to your comment about the ddt sprayer. My mother used to use a pump sprayer to spray DDT on our garden, apparently Monsanto had issued no warnings, but the backdraft permeated her clothing while she was breast feeding #9. #9 almost died as an infant and never grew to the size of any of the other children in the family.

In '92 I had a major exposure to lead poisoning and was very ill for several months after I heat stripped lead paint, prior to that I had been a stained glass artist, soldering lead. I was in constant pain, had memory issues and even though the worst of the pain went away after a time, (it takes about 3 mos. for it to filter out of your blood and go into your bones) it would crop up whenever I went through any kind of traumatic period. I just assumed it was genetic, my cross to bear. When #9, my closest friend, died, I was determined to find answers for fear I would be next. After much research I zeroed in on heavy metal toxicity and had my hair tested. Hair testing is the ONLY way to find out about the body burden of heavy metals. Of course insurance considers this "alternative". I was in the 98th percentile for lead toxicity. I had IV chelation therapy and the stories I heard from others while I was getting the IV's was like hearing my family history.

Estimates are that 80% of the baby boom generation have heavy metal toxicity issues. I cannot even begin to express my frustration with my rheumatologist who (prior to my hair test) had prescribed methotrexate, a drug that had so many side-effects I refused to take it. Chelation has saved my life, but I still have multiple auto-immune issues and responses to literally ANY chemicals. The slightest exposure to MSG puts me to bed for 2 days. My naturopath described the process as this: Imagine that your body has a small vial that collects all the bad stuff you are exposed to to protect you. Imagine that vial overflows. This is MS, this is Parkinsons, this is the body overstressed with toxins.

There are poisons everywhere, MSG is in everything, and don't even get me started on Nutrasweet, (which Rumsfeld got approved w/no research) and is in nearly every fucking diet pop. The information is out there everywhere on the internet, so if you or your family has issues I strongly recommend having your hair tested. EDTA is available in powder form, you can sprinkle it on your food and chelate every day. It is not in capsule form, but is available as a "bath salt", which costs nearly nothing. We all need to "get the lead out", and get informed or we will all go nuts. Mercury toxicity is a different chelator, DMPS, anyone with dark fillings in their teeth has mercury. I had all mine removed.

Western med doesn't give a rats ass about curing anything, as I said, I could write a book. Do the research if this is something effecting you and yours. It can save your life.

[condoleeza]

29. One more thing, even if you weren't raised on a farm

Toxins can be passed en-vitro. The gift that keeps giving. Toxins are in nearly everything we eat unless we are vigilant. Even the "health food" companies whose foods we often assume are safe are owned by companies we would never suspect. It is truly scary to swallow anything.

[glitch]

32. Can you grow your own vegetables? nt

[glitch]

31. Thank you for your thoughtful post. You really should write a book about.

We're under attack, whether it's by greed, ignorance, actual malice or all of the above, we are being attacked. I'll look into EDTA, thank you for that information.

I am glad you are taking care of yourself physically and being aware. :hug:

[condoleeza]

33. Maybe I will, but there are lots of good books already about this

there is also a thread currently going on DU that relates: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5892944

I purchase my EDTA from my Naturopath, but it can be ordered online.
This is the best resource for information I've ever found: http://www.gordonresearch.com/
a list of products: http://www.gordonresearch.com/articles_temp/Complete_Catalog.pdf
and looking at the 2nd link I see that it is now in capsule form. EDTA is a completely safe thing to take. I take 1/2 tsp. a day of Beyond Clean by Longevity Plus. This is a product that is designed to be used to remove toxins from the skin, but it is also food grade, so it is clearly the cheapest way to chelate I've found. It costs about $35. for a 20 oz. container that lasts forever, it kind of lumps up in the food but is tasteless.

[AwakeAtLast]

20. My grandfather was a farmer his entire life

He died of Parkinson's at the age of 89.

Farmed in So. Illinois from around 1928-1985. Doctors told our family when he was first diagnosed that farm chemicals probably had something to do with it. This was around 1987.

[spin]

21. My stepdad also developed Parkinsons...

and had a lot of exposure to pesticides.

[Festivito]

30. My late parkinsonian mom loved to "Preen" the garden.

Preen kept those weeds down without weeding.

Her Parkinson's symptoms did not grow rapidly, although they did increase over the twenty-plus years she had it.

I had long suspected it was due to her gardening toy.

I recall seeing a Canadian study done showing a map of pesticide use overlayed on a map of parkinson incidents. They matched perfectly.

The manufacturers continued to SAY that they did not think there was a link, kept their money and kept on making pesticides and money.

[Sebastian Doyle]

34. Two of my grandparents had Parkinsons

Neither were employed in agricultural, or to my knowledge, ever used pesticides extensively. And considering that they were divorced long before I was born, and ended up living some 1200 miles away from each other, it's not likely that there were many common factors that would apply to both.

Of course the fact that both of them DID have the disease makes my mother understandably nervous. Though I'm not sure what role genetics play in it.