Scientists are working to better understand the broad range of environmental exposures linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD), but it’s widely believed that there is a strong link between PD and long-term exposure to pesticides and herbicides.
Some of the toxins that have been looked at in research are;
- Paraquat (pesticide) – Paraquat is a pesticide that has been linked to a 150% increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. It has been banned in over 30 countries.
- Trichloroethylene TCE (cleaning chemical) – TCE is a cleaning chemical widely used cleaners across a wide range of industries, from dry cleaning to manufacturing. Researchers have linked exposure to TCE with a 500% increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
- Glyphosate (pesticide) – Glyphosate is used as a pesticide, and in 2023, Parkinson’s Europe as well as other organisations campaigned the European Commission to ban the use of glyphosate in action to the growing evidence that the pesticide could be a cause of PD, however in November 2023 the European Commission gave its permission for it to be used for another 10 years.
Some articles that might be of interest;
- Phys Org, ‘Most of the glyphosate in European rivers may not come from farming, researchers suggest’, July 2024 – read here.
- American Brain Foundation, ‘Environmental Toxins and Parkinson’s Disease’, February 2024 – read here.
- npj Parkinson’s Disease, ‘Towards improved screening of toxins for Parkinson’s risk’, December 2023 – read here.
- UCLA Health, ‘Research identify 10 pesticides toxic to neuron involved in Parkinson’s’, May 2023 – read here.
- The Guardian, ‘Exposure to Environmental Toxins may be the root of rise in neurological disorders’, October 2022 – read here.
- Beyond Pesticides, ‘New Evidence Shows Roundup (weed killer) Damages the Nervous System’, August 2022 – read here.
- National Library of Medicine, ‘Toxic Effects of Glyphosate on the Nervous System’, April 2021 – read more.
- You can look into different chemicals through the NPIC website.