This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
News
Scientists discover link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease
A scientific paper has revealed a link between prolonged pesticide exposure and the neurological condition Parkinson’s disease.
A report published in the ‘Environmental Research’ journal has uncovered evidence of a worrying correlation between pesticide exposure and the neurological condition Parkinson’s disease.
According to the publication Science Direct, researchers accessed the French National Health Insurance Database to search for reported incidents of Parkinson’s disease in farmers between 2010-2015.
The scientists then examined an agricultural census that recorded pesticide expenditure by French growers in the year 2000. Models were adjusted for a range of health factors, including smoking, age, and sex. In total, data on growers working in 3571 French regions was collated.
The report revealed evidence of a worrying correlation, and claimed that winegrowers who spent the largest sums of money on pesticides had a 16% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s.
A recorded 10,282 incidents of Parkinson’s disease were identified in French growers who had been exposed to pesticides via their work. Yet the research failed to establish a link within other agricultural sectors.
The report stated: “This result suggests that agricultural practices and pesticides used in these vineyards may play a role in PD and that farmers in these farms should benefit from preventive measures aimed at reducing exposure.”
In 2008, a study undertaken by University California Los Angeles suggested that prolonged exposure to fungicides could also increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s.
However, over the last decade, the volume of synthetic chemicals used in major regions such as Bordeaux has, in fact, fallen dramatically.
“Between 2014 and 2016, the use of pesticides that are classified as CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Toxic for reproduction) in Bordeaux vineyards was more than halved, seeing a 55% reduction in just three years,” said a representative from the CIVB.