Parkinson's Disease - Introduction

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Environmental and Industrial Chemicals. Intense exposure to certain environmental and industrial chemicals is also being studied.

• Pesticides and Herbicides. Some evidence implicates pesticides and herbicides as important factors in many cases of Parkinson's disease. A higher incidence of parkinsonism has long been noted in people who live in rural areas, particularly those who drink private well water or are agricultural workers. A large 2000 study found a strong link between high exposure to insecticides and herbicides at home and a 50% to 70% increase in risk of Parkinson's.
• Other Chemicals. Intense exposure to other industrial chemicals and metals (manganese, copper, lead, iron, mercury, zinc, aluminum, and others) has also been linked with parkinsonism, which is often reversible. The role of long-term exposure in the development of Parkinson's disease is unclear. High levels of iron content observed in critical parts of the brain in PD are under particular scrutiny.

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Aging Process

Most, but not all, Parkinson's victims are elderly. Some studies indicate that the very elderly are not susceptible to the disease, indicating that the aging process itself is not the major player in the disease. Aging does appear to reduce the concentration of dopamine in structures called dopamine transporters, which carry the neurotransmitter back and forth between nerve cells. Some researchers posit that any excessive stress on these transporters might trigger Parkinson's disease in the aging, and more vulnerable, brain.

Review Date: 05/22/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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