Pesticides and Parkinson's disease: the legacy of contaminated well water.

摘要

Epidemiologic studies since the early 1990s have suggested that exposure to various classes of pesticides increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Animal studies have backed up that link, revealing how pesticides may target the dopaminergic system, which is damaged in PD. New data from the Parkinson's Environment and Genes Study show that residents of California's Central Valley who over many years drank well water that was probably highly contaminated with certain pesticides were more likely to have PD or PD symptoms than residents who didn't drink contaminated well water [EHP 117:1912-1918; Gatto et al.].