http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pesticide_parkinsons_disease Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:49:33 -0800 pixel-app en http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/14472 Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/14472 chlorinated pesticides put a school worker in South Africa at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  The researchers also report that the greater the exposure, the greater the risk.

A compound containing the organoclorine lindane was used to fumigate a building on school property in Groblersdal in the Limpopo province of South Africa. In humans, lindane primarily affects the nervous system, liver, and kidneys, and may be a carcinogen and/or endocrine disruptor.  The occupational therapist working there was diagnosed with organochlorine poisoning; students also complained of symptoms.  The link to type 2 diabetes had not been previously explored in South Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies lindane as "Moderately Hazardous," and its international trade is restricted and regulated under the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent.  The chemical is banned in over 50 countries and is currently under consideration for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, which would ban its production and use worldwide.

Dr. Johan Minnaar, who treated the patient, reported that a registered pest control company administered the pesticide.  "It is shocking how little knowledge people, and especially registered professionals, have on the dangers of pesticides and agricultural chemicals.”  Minnaar added, "In South Africa a campaign to create awareness of the dangers of agricultural chemicals is desperately needed."

Meanwhile, researchers at the NIH in the US studied over 31,000 licensed pesticide applicators participating in an Agricultural Health Study.  The researchers note that such licensed pesticide applicators use more potent formulations of the chemicals involved in the study than are found in products sold for use in the home or garden.  Five years after enrolling in the study, 1,176 of these pesticide applicators developed type 2 diabetes.  Among the 50 different pesticides the researchers reviewed, half were chlorinated and seven of these were linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.  The pesticides are:  Aldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, dichlorvos, trichlorfon, alachlor, and cyanazine.  Like the pesticide that injured the South African worker and children, “all of the seven pesticides” linked to increased type 2 diabetes are “chlorinated compounds," study investigator Dr. Freya Kamel of the National Institute of Environmental Health in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina said. "We don't know yet what the
implication of that is, but it can't be a coincidence.  I think it's an important clue for future research."

The research indicated that risk was higher among study participants who had ever been exposed to any of these chemicals and risk increased as cumulative days of lifetime exposure increased, according to the research team’s report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.  The strongest link between exposure to the seven chemicals and type 2 diabetes was seen among obese people.  The researchers say this possibly occurred because people with more body fat may store more of the chemicals in their bodies.

The three organochlorine pesticides—aldrin, chlordane, and heptachlor—are no longer sold in the US, Kamel added, but because they accumulate in animal tissues they remain at detectable levels in individuals' bodies, as well as in some food products.

]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12031 Fri, 28 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12031
"Some areas of the brain displayed what I would call physical changes in other words, a loss of neurons in particular regions of the brain," says Carr. "In other regions of the brain you wouldn't notice a change in the number of cells present there, but now the cells that are present there are expressing chemicals in different amounts, compared to normal rats."

As an example, Carr found cells responsible for production of a substance called myelin were damaged or destroyed. Myelin is a substance made up of fats and proteins that encloses nerves. It helps transmit signals along the nerves. Loss of myelin causes nerve damage in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Researchers studied six common pesticides. Carr says some rats were given a single large dose, while others were injected with small doses over a nine-month period.

"It's hard to then correlate that to what the average person that's working with pesticides would be exposed to," says Carr. "We're not at that position yet, where we can say this is comparable to what these people working with pesticides, short term or long term, are exposed to."

Dr. Carr hopes to have his results completely analyzed by next spring.

Gerald Groenwald, director of energy and environmental research, says there's clearly a need to continue and expand the research.

"What this research says is that we have started to open some doors and shine some light in a very objective fashion, a very comprehensive fashion, on this group of questions," says Groenwald. "And it says, more than ever, that this research is extremely important not only here in the Red River Valley, but basically globally."

Groenwald says other researchers are also looking at ways people are exposed to pesticides. He says people commonly think of being exposed to pesticides through contaminated water or food. But he believes the most efficient means of exposure is through tiny airborne particles of pollen.

Groenwald says some beneficial drugs are delivered as tiny particles, which are inhaled deep into the lungs.

He says researchers found tiny bits of pollen carried on the wind carry with them a load of pesticide.
"Frankly, if there is a link between pesticides and these diseases, I think the very fine pollen is the transport mechanism, and is in some cases you might say the smoking gun," he says.

Groenwald says because there are relatively few competing airborne pollutants in the Red River Valley, it's a perfect place to study airborne pesticide pollution.

Groenwald hopes to continue and expand the study over the next three years, depending on how much funding the research receives.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12010 Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12010    
Parkinson's disease, first described in the early 1800s by British physician James Parkinson as "shaking palsy," is among the most prevalent neurological disorders. In a recent article in Scientific American, "According to the United Nations, at least four million people worldwide have it; in North America, estimates run from 500,000 to one million, with about 50,000 diagnosed every year. These figures are expected to double by 2040 as the world's elderly population grows; indeed, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative illnesses common in the elderly (such as Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) are on their way to overtaking cancer as a leading cause of death. But the disease is not entirely one of the aged: 50 percent of patients acquire it after age 60; the other half is affected before then. Furthermore, better diagnosis has made experts increasingly aware that the disorder can attack those younger than 40.

"As its 19th-century name suggests and as many people know from the educational efforts of prominent Parkinson's sufferers such as Janet Reno, Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox the disease is characterized by movement disorders. Tremor in the hands, arms and elsewhere, limb rigidity, slowness of movement, and impaired balance and coordination are among the disease's hallmarks. In addition, some patients have trouble walking, talking, sleeping, urinating and performing sexually."
     
A major cause may be pesticide exposure. According to research published in Annals of Neurology, people who have been exposed to pesticides are 70 percent more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who haven't. The results suggest that any pesticide exposure, whether occupationally related or not, will increase a person's risk of the disease. This means that using pesticides in the home or garden may have similarly harmful effects as working with the chemicals on a farm or as a pest controller.
    
The new study provides the strongest evidence to date of the link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's. The work included over 143,000 men and women who completed extensive lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1982, and follow-up surveys through 2001. All subjects were symptom-free at the beginning of the project, when they were asked about their occupation and exposure to potentially hazardous materials. Since then, 413 of them have developed confirmed cases of Parkinson's, with a greater incidence of the disease in those who spent time around pesticides. "Low-dose pesticide exposure was associated with a significant increase in risk for Parkinson's disease," says lead author Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard School for Public Health. "I think this is one reason to be careful about using pesticides in general."
    
Although the causes of Parkinson's are not well understood, it has long been suspected that environmental factors play a large role. Animal studies have shown that chemical compounds commonly used as pesticides can cause a degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons. In Parkinson's, a shortage of dopamine causes the disease's characteristic motor abnormalities, including muscle tremors and muscle rigidity. Previous small-scale human studies had suggested a link between pesticides and Parkinson's, but this new study is the first to establish a clear correlation in a large patient population.
    
The researchers also looked for links between Parkinson's and other environmental contaminants, including asbestos, coal dust, exhaust, formaldehyde and radioactive material. They found no correlation between the disease and any of the materials besides pesticides, however. Because of the design of the questionnaires, the study was not able to determine how the frequency, duration, or intensity of pesticide exposure affected the incidence of Parkinson's. The next step, according to Ascherio, is to figure out which class of chemicals is actually causing the disease, so that people can reduce their exposure. Karen Schrock, Johns Hopkins University.
    
So far researchers and clinicians have found no way to slow, stop or prevent Parkinson's. Although treatments do exist - including drugs and deep-brain stimulation - these therapies alleviate symptoms, not causes. In recent years, however, investigators have linked proteins to genetic underpinnings of the disease. Such findings are feeding optimism that fresh angles of attack can be identified.
    
Pesticides kill plants and insects; it takes no leap of faith to conclude that they might do something to humans.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11963 Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11963
The pesticide dieldrin was banned for most uses by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1974, then totally banned in 1987, according to the researchers. Dieldrin was most commonly used for insect control in crops and for termite control in home foundations. "While many pesticides have been banned from use today, they still remain in the soil and can take decades to break down, as in the case of dieldrin," says Gary Miller, PhD, neurotoxicologist, researcher in Emory's Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. "Because of dieldrin's lingering effects, our research focuses on the role of the environment and its effects on PD." Dr. Miller is the senior author on this paper.

"Although most people are diagnosed in mid- to late-life with Parkinson's, experimental evidence suggests that neurodegeneration begins long before clinical diagnosis of PD," says Dr. Miller. "Recent research has led to the idea that the etiology of a number of diseases may result from alterations occurring during development. Therefore, we decided to examine whether developmental exposure to dieldrin causes persistent changes to the dopaminergic system and whether these changes can result in increased susceptibility to Parkinson's."

Parkinson's disease is considered a disease of aging, occurring when a group of cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra begin to malfunction and die. These cells produce a chemical called dopamine, a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger, that sends information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination. When a person has Parkinson's disease, his or her dopamine-producing cells begin to die, leaving that person incapable of initiating and controlling movements in a normal way.

In the Emory study, the researchers administered 0.3 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg of dieldrin or no dieldrin (placebo) every three days to pregnant mice throughout gestation and lactation.

"Through analysis of brain samples, we found the pesticide does not directly kill the dopamine neurons, but instead alters the dopamine neuron homeostasis or equilibrium to cause increased vulnerability to a parkinsonism-inducing toxin," Dr. Miller explains. The study also found the enhanced vulnerability affected male rodent offspring more so than female rodent offspring. The finding is consistent with that observed in the human population affected by PD, in that Parkinson's affects more men than women.

"We also noted that exposure to dieldrin during critical periods of development may lead to the imprinting of genes that regulate the proper formation and maintenance of function of the dopamine system," says Jason Richardson, PhD, co-author and postdoctoral fellow in the Miller laboratory. "This alteration may induce a silent state of dopamine dysfunction and an increased vulnerability of dopamine neurons later in life."

"The results from this study provide a potential molecular mechanism responsible for the association between dieldrin exposure and increased risk of PD and suggests that greater attention should be focused on the role of early life exposures and the development of PD," says Dr. Miller.
]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11920 Mon, 26 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11920
Previous studies had suggested a link between PD and low-level exposure to pesticides, though the data remains inconclusive. The researchers, led by Alberto Ascherio, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, looked at data from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a prospective study begun in 1992 by the American Cancer Society. Some 143,325 participants who responded to a follow-up survey in 2001 were included in the HSPH study. Researchers then contacted those individuals in the 2001 survey who reported a diagnosis of PD to ask if their medical records could be reviewed to confirm the diagnosis. Ultimately, Ascherio and his colleagues included in their study a total of 413 cases of PD with onset of symptoms and diagnosis after 1992.

The researchers used exposure data collected in 1982 from the CPS II mortality study, a study from which the Nutrition Cohort was drawn. Exposure to pesticides was reported by 5,203 men (8.2 percent) and 2,661 women (3.3 percent). Among those reporting exposure, after adjusting for age, sex, and other risk factors for Parkinson's disease, there was a 70 percent higher incidence of PD than among people who reported no exposure. Those reporting exposure were more likely to be male than female to report their occupation as farmer, rancher or fisherman and to be blue-collar workers, but none of these factors could account for the increased risk of Parkinson's disease, which was similar in men or women, and in non-farmers as well as farmers. The significant association between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease among individuals who are not farmers is most likely explained by use of pesticides at home or in gardening.

Future studies will need to examine which specific pesticides or classes of pesticides are likely to cause Parkinson's disease.

This study was supported by a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Kinetic Foundation. The participation of Michael Schwarzschild, a co-author, was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11883 Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11883
"This confirms what has been found in previous studies: that occupational or other exposure to herbicides, insecticides and other pesticides increases risk for Parkinson's," says Dr. Jim Maraganore, Mayo Clinic neurologist and study investigator.

"What we think may be happening is that pesticide use combines with other risk factors in men's environment or genetic makeup, causing them to cross over the threshold into developing the disease. By contrast, estrogen may protect women from the toxic effects of pesticides."

Pesticide exposure did not increase the risk of Parkinson's disease in women, and no other household or industrial chemicals were significantly linked to the disease in either men or women.

Overall, the study, published in the journal Movement Disorders, found that the men with Parkinson's disease were 2.4 times more likely to have had exposure to pesticides than those who did not have Parkinson's.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11890 Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/11890
Findings will be published in the June issue of the journal Movement Disorders.

"This confirms what has been found in previous studies: that occupational or other exposure to herbicides, insecticides and other pesticides increases risk for Parkinson's," says Jim Maraganore, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist and study investigator. "What we think may be happening is that pesticide use combines with other risk factors in men's environment or genetic makeup, causing them to cross over the threshold into developing the disease. By contrast, estrogen may protect women from the toxic effects of pesticides."

The investigators identified all those in Olmsted County, Minn., home of Mayo Clinic, who had developed Parkinson's disease between 1976 and 1995. Each person with Parkinson's disease was matched for comparison to someone similar in age and gender who did not have the disease. The researchers conducted telephone interviews with 149 of those with Parkinson's and 129 of those who did not have the disease, or a proxy for these people, to assess exposure to chemical products via farming occupation, non-farming occupation or hobbies. The investigators were unable to determine through these interviews the exact exposure levels of these individuals or the cumulative lifetime exposure to pesticides.

Overall, the study found that the men with Parkinson's were 2.4 times more likely to have had exposure to pesticides than those who did not have Parkinson's. Women who had Parkinson's, on the other hand, had a far lower frequency of exposure to pesticides than men with the disease.

This study was undertaken due to conflicting results from previous studies of pesticides and other chemical products and risk for Parkinson's.

Funding for the study is from two grants from the National Institutes of Health. The medical-records linkage system of the Rochester Epidemiology Project also made this study possible.
]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pesticide_parkinsons_disease Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/pesticide_parkinsons_disease Pesticide Use Increases Chance of Parkinson's in Men On June 14, 2006, a Mayo Clinic study established that men who used pesticides for farming or any other intentions raised their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The findings of the study have been published in the June issue of Movement Disorders. The study also determined that pesticide contact did not increase the danger of Parkinson's in women. Additionally, no other domestic or industrial chemicals were significantly linked to the disease in men or women.

Jim Maraganore, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist and study investigator, says “This confirms what has been found in previous studies: that occupational or other exposure to herbicides, insecticides and other pesticides increases risk for Parkinson's.” "What we think may be happening is that pesticide use combines with other risk factors in men's environment or genetic makeup, causing them to cross over the threshold into developing the disease. By contrast, estrogen may protect women from the toxic effects of pesticides."

Mayo Clinic Study
Mayo Clinic examiners contacted all residents in Olmsted County, Minnesota, who had developed Parkinson's disease between 1976 and 1995. Each person with Parkinson's disease was matched for comparison to someone similar in age and gender that did not have the disease. Mayo Clinic researchers then began to conduct telephone interviews with 149 residents with Parkinson's and 129 who did not have the disease. The data from the phone interviews determined if individuals had exposure to chemical products via farming occupation, non-farming occupation or hobbies.

After reviewing all the information gathered during the phone interviews, the Mayo Clinic team was unable to conclude through these interviews the exact exposure levels of these individuals or the cumulative lifetime exposure to pesticides. In general, the study established that men with Parkinson's disease were 2.4 times more likely to have had exposure to pesticides than those who did not have Parkinson's diseasae.

Legal Help for Victims
If you or a loved has been exposed to pesticides and were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified pollutants attorney. Alternatively, call our toll free number: 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). ]]>