Higher risk of Parkinson's disease' from gardening

[Guest guest]

IAN JOHNSTON

SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT

GARDENERS should wear protective clothing when using

pesticides to guard against getting Parkinson's disease in later

life, a leading scientist warns today.

Professor Seaton and a team of researchers at

Aberdeen University found gardeners who used weedkillers and

other chemicals have an increased risk of developing the

incurable, severely debilitating brain disease.

They studied nearly 3,000 people in five European countries,

including Scotland, and found that gardeners had a 9 per cent

greater risk of contracting Parkinson's than people who had not

come into contact with pesticides. Farmers were 43 per cent

more likely to get the disease.

Those with a family history of Parkinson's were 350 per cent

more likely to get it, and being knocked out was another

significant risk factor. Being rendered unconscious just once

increased the risk by 32 per cent, while repeated incidents saw

a 174 per cent rise.

The disease is caused by a lack of chemicals in the brain; the

actor J Fox and Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer,

are two high-profile sufferers.

Symptoms include trembling, stiffness, loss of facial

expression, poor co-ordination and balance, and problems

moving - after many years some patients become physically

incapable. About half develop dementia.

Prof Seaton said their research, which is reported in New

Scientist magazine today, emphasised the need to take care

when using pesticides.

" This is primarily a dose-related thing, " Prof Seaton said. " If

you have to use pesticides, you should do your best to reduce

the dose by not using them. And if you do use them, use them

for the minimum amount of time and wear protective clothing

to stop it getting into your lungs or on to your skin. "

The researchers interviewed 767 Parkinson's sufferers and

1,989 healthy people about risk factors for the disease.

" The only thing we found of great interest was that, on

average, people who had worked with pesticides had a greater

risk of being in the Parkinson's group rather than the control

group, " Prof Seaton said.

The chairman of the government's advisory committee on

pesticides, Professor Coggon, of Southampton

University, admitted some pesticides should perhaps not be on the market

because of the risk of getting Parkinson's. " It's possible that just one or

two are causing it but slipped through the regulatory net, " Prof Coggon

said.

, policy director of the National Farming Union

Scotland, said: " Farmers only ever use the amount that is

required for the crop being grown. NFU Scotland encourages all

farmers to join the national register of sprayer operators to

ensure that pesticides are used responsibly and so that best

practice is always employed. "

Barbara Dinham, director of Pesticide Action Network UK,

added that the research backed her organisation's call for

alternative methods of pest control to be used more widely.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

ANYONE using pesticides should wear protective clothing to

prevent the chemicals getting on to their skin or into their

lungs.

Professor Seaton said those who use pesticides as part

of their work should wear masks and protective clothing

designed to set standards. Gardeners who regularly use

weedkillers and other chemicals should also take precautions,

although they may not need to go quite so far. " If you are just

going out once a year to spray a few roses, you can just be

careful, although it is better to wear a mask. "

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