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Exposure to pesticides could increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, researchers have warned. The European study concludes anyone using pesticides should wear protective clothing. The research, featured in New Scientist magazine, looked at almost 3,000 people in Scotland, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Malta, including 767 with Parkinson's, and found that people with Parkinson's disease were more likely to have used pesticides regularly during their lives. High level users, such as farmers, were 43 per cent more likely than non-users to develop the disease. Those classed as low level users, such as amateur gardeners, were 9 per cent more likely.
Dr Anthony Seaton, of the University of Aberdeen, who led the research, said: 'It considerably strengthens the case for pesticides being relevant to occupational risk of Parkinson's disease.' Dr Finlay Dick, of the University of Aberdeen, who also worked on the study, said it was true other factors including genetics were linked to a higher increased risk of developing Parkinson's. He said: 'There is a moderate increased risk linked to exposure to pesticides. I wouldn't want to over-emphasise the significance of the effect. But it's important that there are things people can do to reduce that risk - you can't change your parents.'
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said a panel from the government's Advisory Committee on Pesticides had last year identified a 'correlation between individuals' memory of exposure to pesticides and Parkinson's disease' but it did not establish a 'specific link' between exposure and the development of this illness.
Source : Special Report from New Scientist Print Edition
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