Parkinsons is a debilitating disease which can occur at any age but tends to mainly occur in the older sections of the population. Researchers at UCLA’s neurology department have now been working towards a theory that common pesticides can cause the disease. So far, common chemicals in the area (California’s Central Valley) have been identified to have a possible link to wellness. Those chemicals are ziram, maneb and paraquet. These not only have been linked to the disease in farmworkers, but also to people who live or work near fields that have been sprayed and who may have inhaled particles of the chemicals in the air.
Now another chemical looks to threaten the wellbeing of those who are exposed to it: benomyl, which was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. some ten years ago, but still has lingering effects on the population.
The research also shows that the health concerns associated with benomyl may in fact go beyond the simple notion of direct exposure to the chemical. A senior professor of neurology at UCLA, Jeff Bronstein, has stated that this chemical may start a chain reaction, which begins with the chemical preventing a natural enzyme in the brain from blocking a harmful toxin called DOPAL which exists in the brain. Without this enzyme, the DOPAL can damage neurons within the brain and lead to the individual who has been exposed developing Parkinsons in later life.
With this knowledge gradually starting to come together, it may be possible to develop new drugs to help slow down the progressive disease. Symptoms of Parkinsons include having a tremor (constant shaking), being rigid, slow movements and difficulty with speech.
Whilst there is also a genetic variation that can cause an inherited type of Parkinsons, this is only a small fraction of the percentage of those who have Parkinsons. The rest must have an external cause, and pesticides are more and more thought to be a key culprit.
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