E***@ss.com
2011-02-13 17:18:04 UTC
US study links pesticides to Parkinson's disease
Fri Feb 11, 5:11 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) US researchers said Friday they have found that
people who used two specific varieties of pesticide were 2.5 times as
likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
The pesticides, paraquat and rotenone, are not approved for house and
garden use. Previous research on animals has linked paraquat to
Parkinson's disease, so it is restricted to use by certified
applicators.
Rotenone is approved only for use in killing invasive fish species.
"Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the
structure responsible for making energy in the cell," said study
co-author Freya Kamel, a researcher at the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
"Paraquat increases production of certain oxygen derivatives that may
harm cellular structures. People who used these pesticides or others
with a similar mechanism of action were more likely to develop
Parkinson's disease."
The study examined 110 people with Parkinson's disease and 358 people
who served as a control group from the Farming and Movement Evaluation
(FAME) Study.
FAME is part of a larger Agricultural Health Study looking at the
health of approximately 90,000 licensed pesticide applicators and
their spouses.
The study appears in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Fri Feb 11, 5:11 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) US researchers said Friday they have found that
people who used two specific varieties of pesticide were 2.5 times as
likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
The pesticides, paraquat and rotenone, are not approved for house and
garden use. Previous research on animals has linked paraquat to
Parkinson's disease, so it is restricted to use by certified
applicators.
Rotenone is approved only for use in killing invasive fish species.
"Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the
structure responsible for making energy in the cell," said study
co-author Freya Kamel, a researcher at the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
"Paraquat increases production of certain oxygen derivatives that may
harm cellular structures. People who used these pesticides or others
with a similar mechanism of action were more likely to develop
Parkinson's disease."
The study examined 110 people with Parkinson's disease and 358 people
who served as a control group from the Farming and Movement Evaluation
(FAME) Study.
FAME is part of a larger Agricultural Health Study looking at the
health of approximately 90,000 licensed pesticide applicators and
their spouses.
The study appears in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.