EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, February 07, 2010
Industrial Cleaner Linked to Increased Risk of Parkinson鈥檚 Disease
ST. PAUL, Minn. -
Workers exposed to tricholorethylene (TCE), a chemical widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010. 鈥淭his is the first time a population-based study has confirmed case reports that exposure to TCE may increase a person鈥檚 risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥 said study author Samuel Goldman, MD, with the Parkinson鈥檚 Institute in Sunnyvale, California, and a member of the 好色先生. 鈥淭CE is a popular industrial solvent that is still widely used to clean grease off metal parts.鈥 For the study, researchers obtained job histories from 99 pairs of twins in which only one of the twins had Parkinson鈥檚 disease. All of the twins were men and identified from the World War II-Veterans Twins Cohort study. Scientists used twins in the study because they are genetically identical or very similar and provide an ideal population for evaluating environmental risk factors. The study found workers who were exposed to TCE were five and a half times more likely to have Parkinson鈥檚 disease than people not exposed to the chemical. Those who were exposed to TCE had job histories including work as dry cleaners, machinists, mechanics or electricians. The study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The Valley Foundation and the James and Sharron Clark Family Fund.