Parkinson's Disease Linked To Pesticides

They found that the combined exposure to ziram, maneb and paraquat near any workplace increased the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) threefold, while combined exposure to ziram and paraquat alone was associated with an 80 percent increase in risk. The results appear in the current online edition of the European Journal of Epidemiology.

"Our estimates of risk for ambient exposure in the workplaces were actually greater than for exposure at residences," said Dr. Beate Ritz, senior author and a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health. "And, of course, people who both live and work near these fields experience the greatest PD risk. These workplace results give us independent confirmation of our earlier work that focused only on residences, and of the damage these chemicals are doing."

In addition, Ritz noted, this is the first study that provides strong evidence in humans that the combination of the three chemicals confers a greater risk of Parkinson's than exposure to the individual chemicals alone. Because these pesticides affect different mechanisms leading to cell death, they may act together to increase the risk of developing the disorder: Those exposed to all three experienced the greatest increase in risk.

"Our results suggest that pesticides affecting different cellular mechanisms that contribute to dopaminergic neuron death may act together to increase the risk of PD considerably," said Ritz, who holds a joint appointment in the UCLA Department of Neurology.

"This stuff drifts," Ritz said. "It's borne by the wind and can wind up on plants and animals, float into open doorways or kitchen windows -- up to several hundred meters from the fields."

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I think we need to ban these pesticides: ziram, maneb and paraquat.

We know that Parkinson's is a degenerative condition of the CNS specifically effecting the mid-brain (substantia nigra) which controls certain motor functions and behavoirs.

It seems to me that damage to this region of the brain whether it be from punches recieved in boxing (Muhammed Ali), or pesticide toxins destroying cells in this area of the brian can cause the condition.

So eating foods contaiminated with these pesticides is kind of like getting hit in the face.... literally.

great thread thank you for this

To me, it's a no mid-brainer (pun intended) that pesticides are damaging to our health, and the planet's. I avoid harmful chemicals on my food like the plague. It's good to see research like this being done. Ban those poisons, and continue to destroy the current industrial food system bit by bit. It needs to go, or we'll be gone.

Since we're on the topic of Parkinson's... I came across this article the other day that explains how a correlation has been found between Helicobacter pylori (the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers) and incidence of Parkinson's disease:

Ulcer bacteria may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease

"Infection of late middle-aged mice with a particular strain of the bacteria Helicobacter pylori results in development of Parkinson's disease symptoms after 3-5 months," says Traci Testerman of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, who presented the research. "Our findings suggest that H. pylori infection could play a signficant role in the development of Parkinson's disease in humans." Physicians have noted a correlation between stomach ulcers and Parkinson's disease as far back as the 1960s, before it was even known that H. pylori was the cause of ulcers. More recently, a number of studies found that people with Parkinson's disease were more likely to be infected with the bacterium, and that Parkinson's patients who were treated and cured of infection showed slight improvement compared to controls that continued to deteriorate.

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0

Source

I think we need to ban these pesticides: ziram, maneb and paraquat.

We know that Parkinson's is a degenerative condition of the CNS specifically effecting the mid-brain (substantia nigra) which controls certain motor functions and behavoirs.

It seems to me that damage to this region of the brain whether it be from punches recieved in boxing (Muhammed Ali), or pesticide toxins destroying cells in this area of the brian can cause the condition.

So eating foods contaiminated with these pesticides is kind of like getting hit in the face.... literally.

edit on 28-5-2011 by v1rtu0s0 because: (no reason given)

I know the concept or idea that Parkinsons is allegedly caused by a pesticide is the "most popular", but I'd like to present the alternative. That chemicals have nothing to do with Parkinsons. Pesticides are harmful -- YES, but not the cause of Parkinsons.

The top 4 groups in the world with Parkinsons with the most number of cases are...
#1) The Amish. The Amish don't have electricity. The Amish don't use modern pesticides at all. But the Amish have the highest rates in the world. Might sound genetic, but it's not, especially when you look at the other groups with the top Parkinsons rates who don't share genetics with the Amish.
#2) Brescia, Italy. For some reason this area of Italy has the 2nd highest rates of Parkinsons in the world. And we know Italians don't share genetics with the Amish. And they aren't using the same pesticides as the Amish.
#3) Nebraska, U.S. Nebraska has the 3rd highest prevalence of Parkinsons in the world. And the thing is that Nebraska farmers are using completely different pesticides than the Amish. So the pesticides can't be the cause. Although Nebraska has all kinds of different ethnic groups, those ethnic groups infected don't really seem to share a large number of genes with the Amish or Brescia Italians.
#4) The Parsi of India. The Parsi have a completely unique set of religious practices in India from Hindus and Buddhists. And they also have the 4th highest rates of Parkinsons in the world. They don't use any of the same pesticides as the Amish, nor those of Brescia, Italy. And the Parsi really have no genetic relation to the Amish and no genetic relation to Italians. The Parsi don't even seem to share genetics with those in Nebraska.

viartis.net...
Stats of Parkinsons around the World

Bearing that in mind, what do the 4 groups share in common since it's not the pesticides they use, nor genetics? And it's not so much a product that they share in common, but an unsafe way that they make a product. The Amish make such said product without electricity - being thrifty and having no waste. There's no chemical additives to the product either. The Parsi use the product in a couple of their religious ceremonies - in an unsafe way. Nebraskans in rural areas tend to make the product the thrifty-cheap way like the Amish, even though they use electricity. And those of Brescia, Italy are like the Nebraskans. Being thrifty.

Can you figure out what it is-- since it's not a pesticide and not genetics? I'll give you a hint - it does involve food preparation.

Let me throw in one last curveball in global statistics of Parkinsons.

In most of the world, especially in rural areas, there are more men infected than women. So among the Amish, Brescia Italians, Nebraskans, and Parsi, it is predominantly the men infected. But not so with Japan. In Japan it is the opposite gender curve. More women are infected with Parkinsons in Japan, then men.

So the food product - prepared in an unsafe manner is primarily consumed by men in most of the world, but in Japan - it's primarily consumed by women.