Parkinson's rates are soaring beyond what aging explains. Evidence implicating toxins raises hope that preventing exposures could spare future generations.
The context: Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial solvent linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. A study found Marines exposed to TCE-contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune had a 70% higher risk of developing Parkinson's.
- Perchloroethylene is similar to TCE and widely used in dry cleaning, with similar toxicity.
- TCE is a degreasing agent used in hobbies and for printing, painting, and varnishing…by anyone needing a solvent.
- Studies using twins measured a 500% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s in the twin exposed to TCE.
- After being exposed to TCE, the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease occurs between 10 to 40 years later.
- Other studies connect pesticides, industrial chemicals, and air pollution to a higher risk of Parkinson’s.
There have been studies, for example, in Germany, that found that supermarkets that are simply near a dry cleaner will have TCE or perchloroethylene in the butter and the cheese that they're selling. It gets even worse. For example, you bring your daughter into the dry-cleaning building and she's eating an ice cream cone. When she leaves, she's eating perchloroethylene and TCE. —E. Ray Dorsey, MD, Professor of Neurology, University of Rochester
EPA Targets ‘Silent Killer’ in Tap Water. A Nationwide Ban Proposed on Toxic TCE Chemical Amid Health Crisis
Parkinson's has doubled globally in 25 years and will double again in the next 20 years.
- Genes contribute, but chemicals likely fuel most cases of Parkinson’s.
- Parkinson’s rates are five times lower in rural Africa than in industrialized nations and are escalating rapidly in industrializing areas (China, India).
- Because TCE was so widely used, the public-health implications are substantial.
“Given that in the United States, rates of Parkinson's disease are actually higher in urban and suburban areas than they are in rural areas, I think that this dry-cleaning chemical [TCE] — which was widely used in the 1970s in everything from typewriter correction fluid to decaffeinated coffee and [over] 2 pounds per American [was produced] — could be one of the most important causes or contributing factors to Parkinson's disease.” —E. Ray Dorsey MD
Why it matters
If chemicals like TCE cause Parkinson's for most people, avoiding them and other pollutants could slash cases.
What's next: Physicians should routinely inquire about their patients’ occupational and environmental histories when evaluating Parkinson’s disease.
- Highly recommended: Advising patients on lifestyle changes to prevent further harm.
- Avoiding toxic environments, testing well water, installing air filters, and monitoring cancer risks (TCE is carcinogenic) helps protect against Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
- Systemic changes restricting chemicals could prevent millions of future Parkinson’s cases.
The takeaway
Health professionals now realize they can end or dramatically reduce this disease, not just treat it.
Just like we live in a world free of typhus. We live in a world free of smallpox. We live in a world where polio is extraordinarily uncommon. I think we can do the same thing for Parkinson's disease for the vast majority. —E. Ray Dorsey MD
