Toxic Nation | Pollution. It's In You.

In a study published this past year in the BMC (BioMed Central) Neurology journal, researchers found that pesticide exposure can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease in an individual by up to 60%. The study provides one of the strongest arguments yet for the relationship between pesticide use and the well-known disease.

A team of scientists from Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Center of Excellence, Duke University and Miami University surveyed 319 people with Parkinson’s disease on their pesticide use, and compared that to over 200 healthy family members and other individuals. The study focused on the comparison of relatives who shared similar backgrounds to control for other environmental and genetic factors.

It was found that those exposed to pesticides had 1.6 times the Parkinson’s risk of those that had not been exposed, and those that had been exposed for more than 200 days in a year had more than 2 times the risk. Home and garden exposure and insecticides and herbicides, specifically those containing organochlorines and organophosphorus compounds, provided the strongest links to the disease.

Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that results in the damage of brain cells that control muscle movement, can cause a number of problems in humans including slurred speech, stiffness, concerns with balance and movement, and tremors. It is estimated that about 100,000 people suffer from Parkinson’s disease in Canada.

Click here to learn more about the study findings.
Click here to read the full research article.

Sarah