Pesticides Linked to Development of Parkinsons

June 3, 2013 by Daniela 1 Comment

Amy Boulanger reports on the link between Parkinsons and pesticides in a recent article in Medical Daily:

Choosing an organic-based diet might be a healthier option for helping prevent the onset of PD, or helping those already diagnosed with the disorder.

Numerous studies demonstrate the health risks of exposure to pesticides, which are used to grow conventional crops. In 2009, researchers at UCLA found that Central Valley, Calif. residents who lived within 500 meters of fields sprayed between 1974 and 1999 had a 75 percent increased risk for developing Parkinson’s disease.

They noted in their paper, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, that “Parkinson’s disease has been reported to occur at high rates among farmers and in rural populations, contributing to the hypothesis that agricultural pesticides might be causal agents.”

And yet another recent study, published in the journal Neurology, strongly indicates the risk factor for Parkinson’s disease and exposure to pesticides. Researchers found approximately twice an increase in risk of Parkinson’s associated with exposure to paraquat (a weed killer) or maneb/mancozeb (a fungicide used on crops).

Based on mounting evidence that links pesticides to the development of Parkinson’s, there are steps you can take.

Buy organic whenever you can. The term organic does not guarantee pesticide-free foods; “organic” labeling means that synthetic chemical pesticides have not been used to grow or store the food. For more in-depth information, you can visit the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website to read its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

According to EWG, “consumers can markedly reduce their intake of pesticide residues and their exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by choosing organic produce and meat.”

You can also try to shop locally – at your local farmer’s market, for instance – to gain a better understanding of where your food comes from. You can ask how weeds and pests are managed during the growth of crops.

And, in your home, eliminate or reduce your use of pesticides. Look for alternatives to toxins, like cleaning up dining areas immediately after eating to keep out mice and insects. Learn more about safe chemicals by visiting Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.

The entire article is here.

Author: Daniela

I will forever be grateful that I was introduced to the utility and beauty of hand crafted products early in life - from the symbolic motifs sewn into the coarse linen fabric of Croatian traditional wear to the colorful Kilim carpets that decorated the parquet floors in my grandmother's living room. I treasure the memories of my grandfather teaching me how to protect myself against the "evil eye," the smell of the flower stalls in the open air market where my grandmother bought produce early every morning for the day’s meals and the summers spent at my great grandmother's where the village wags would come to gossip over thick, black Turkish coffee in her cool stone kitchen. Someone noted that "For all of us that want to move forward, there are a very few that want to keep the old methods of production, traditions and crafts alive." I am a fellow traveler with those who value the old traditions and folk wisdom. I believe the knowledge they possess can contribute significantly to our efforts to build a more sustainable world - one that values the individual over the corporation, conservation over growth and happiness over wealth.