Possible Links Between Environmental Toxins and Parkinson’s

It is not known whether Parkinson’s disease is caused by a genetic mutation, environmental factors or a combination of the two. However links have been found between environmental toxins and the incurable, progressive neurological disease that greatly affects a person’s ability to move, balance and control their muscles.

When symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be traced back to a particular source this is referred to as “parkinsonism.” For some individuals the symptoms of this disease first begin to show themselves after prolonged exposure to chemicals that are either agricultural or industrial in nature. As well sometimes symptoms take shape after an incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning; constant blows to the head (such as to be found in the sport of boxing) and infections caused by a multitude of viruses. Parkinsonism can also relate to the use of prescription drugs used to treat depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia and a host of other conditions.

Parkinson’s disease tends to crop up more in rural areas and it is believed that environmental factors are to blame in part for that being the case. Many of these environmental factors come in the form of metals or compounds that are deemed toxic. Three pesticide products that have been found to be strongly connected to the incidence of Parkinson’s disease include rotenone, paraquat and maneb.

Rotenone is a plant-based insecticide that is commonly used by farmers. This dangerous pesticide has been shown to lead to disastrous results in the brain. First of all it causes inflammation which in turn leads to the dying off of dopaminergic neurons (dopamine-producing) which are the roadways of communication, and secondly, direct toxicity is administered to the neurons and causes damage.

Paraquat is an insecticide (or herbicide) that is similar in nature to MPTP, which elicited Parkinson-related symptoms in some people who had tried to produce the drug heroin but ended up making MPTP quite unintentionally. Today MPTP is used as a measure of toxicity levels in other potentially harmful chemicals. Paraquat is sprayed on crops such as corn and soybeans (which are most often found to be growing in fields in the Midwestern United States), cotton, fruit and a variety of other products.

Maneb, a diothiocarbamate fungicide, contains a heavy metal known as manganese. This metal has been found to be connected to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Maneb is often sprayed on corn, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes. Both maneb and paraquat are applied to corn on a regular basis so that means that this crop has double the chemicals.

Experiments done with mice showed that when exposed to either paraquat or maneb alone, little if any damage to the brain was noted but when exposed to the combination of paraquat and maneb almost all of the symptoms of the onset of Parkinson’s disease in humans was noted. Although the mice used in the experiment appeared to be as healthy as they were before being exposed to the environmental toxins in reality the dopamine neurons were already becoming destroyed and dying off. Many farmers in the same geographical locations use combinations of these chemical compounds to rid their fields of weeds, insects and many different forms of funguses. However this spells bad news for the people who are exposed to the toxic substances.