The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71336

Joan Samuelson, Parkison's Action Network, 132 Mill St., Suite 209, Healdsburg, CA 95448, 707 431 2675, heilig@sfms.org

Over one million people suffer from Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder. Sixty thousand new cases are diagnosed every year. Forty per cent are diagnosed under the age of sixty. Parkinson's results from the degeneration and premature death of brain cells that produce dopamine, which control communication among brain cells responsible for control of motor function. Eighty percent of cells are lost before symptoms appear. There is no cure at present.

Evidence suggests that Parkinson's may occur from an interaction between genes and environmental exposure to certain chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers and fungicides that can damage or alter vulnerable genes, resulting in damage to brain cells that produce dopamine.

For example, people who work on farms where pesticides and other chemicals are heavily used show greater incidence of Parkinson's. A 2000 study by the National Parkinson's Foundation found that, while one of every 250 Americans has Parkinson's, in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota, the rate is one in 125, twice the national rate.

PAN advocacy work has brought attention and resources to programs focused on prevention and treatment of Parkinson's, including programs at NIEHS, NIH, US Dept. of HHS and the US Department of Defense.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn about the most current research connecting chemical exposures to incidence and mortality. Participants will learn about the activities of PAN that have increased both the level of public awareness and the resources brought to the study for prevention and cure of Parkinson's.

Keywords: Environmental Health,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.