LONG-TERM exposure to pesticides and toxins might cause Parkinson’s disease
in old age. Rats given small amounts of a common pesticide used around the house
have developed symptoms eerily similar to Parkinson’s.
It is the first solid proof that long-term exposure to a toxin can cause this
disease, says Abraham Lieberman, medical director of the National Parkinson
Foundation in Miami, Florida. “It’s a very provocative study,” he says.
Studies of twins suggest that genetic factors are to blame for Parkinson’s in
people under 50 years of age. This isn’t true, however, for late-onset
Parkinson’s, the most common …