Research conducted by the University of Harvard has proved that people who have been handling pesticides on a regular basis are more likely to get Parkinson's disease than those who haven't. this study was published in the July issue of Annals of Neurology. Over the past 20 years, a prevention programme against cancer was set up in which 143,000 persons have been screened. The results have shown that people who are repeatedly exposed to pesticides, even slightly, have a 70% higher probability of getting Parkinson's disease compared to other people. Certain types of occupations are more exposed to the danger such as the sector of agriculture. Activities associated with gardening could also be detrimental to people's health.

• Harvard School of Public Health news release