Repeated Exposure to Pesticides & Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
By Linda on Jun 9, 2010 in Toxins | comments(0)
Excerpt:
May 19, 2010 — Repeated exposure to pesticides, such as occurs with occupational use, is associated with an increase in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in late life, according to an observational study published in the May issue of Neurology.
The researchers, led by Kathleen M. Hayden, PhD, from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, used data from the Cache County Study of Memory Health and Aging and found associations between occupational pesticide exposure and both dementia and AD.
Dr. Hayden told Medscape Neurology that the clinical implications of the study are not yet clear. “This is an observational study and it suggests an association from repeated pesticide use. Further study is needed to determine if there is a causal link,” she noted. “Ideally, pesticides should be studied in a setting where they are routinely used and the exact exposures can be verified, such as in an agricultural study.”
