Edouard Bastarache Inc. on thu 18 aug 05
Hwello all,
not only manganese may cause neurological disorders :
Range of jobs tied to degenerative brain disease
Thu Aug 18, 2005 1:32 PM ET
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A wide range of occupations, from farming to =
teaching, may be potential risk factors for degenerative brain diseases, =
such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, research findings suggest.
In a study of more than 2.6 million U.S. death records, researchers =
found that a variety of jobs were associated with an increased risk of =
death from several forms of brain degeneration, namely Alzheimer's and =
Parkinson's disease, early-onset dementia and motor neuron disease.
Many of the associations had been seen in earlier research and could =
potentially be explained by on-the-job exposures to the chemicals that =
farmers, welders and hairdressers routinely use or inhale.
Other findings, however, such as the elevated disease risks among =
teachers, clergy and bank tellers, are not easily explained, according =
to the researchers, led by Robert M. Park of the National Institute for =
Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Studies such as this, where death certificates are used to find =
associations between occupation and disease risk, have their limits. For =
one, death records are a less-than-ideal measure of a person's work =
history, Park told Reuters Health.
"At best," he noted, such research can tease out general patterns that =
can then be studied further.
In their analysis, Park and his colleagues found that the bank tellers, =
clergy, aircraft mechanics and hairdressers had highest odds of dying =
from Alzheimer's disease. For Parkinson's disease, the highest risks =
were among biological scientists, teachers, clergy members and other =
religious workers.
The risk of death from presenile dementia -- a form of dementia that =
arises before the age of 65 -- was greatest among dentists, graders and =
sorters in industries other than agriculture and, again, clergy.
Veterinarians, hairdressers and graders and sorters had the highest =
risks of dying from motor neuron disease, the most common form of which =
is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- =
an invariably fatal degeneration of the central nervous system that =
causes muscle wasting and paralysis.
The findings, based on death records from 22 states for the years 1992 =
to 1998, are published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Of all deaths for those years, just over 4 percent were attributed, at =
least in part, to a neurodegenerative disease.
These diseases are marked by progressive, irreversible damage to cells =
of the central nervous system. It's thought that genes influence =
susceptibility to the conditions, but growing evidence also points to =
environmental factors, including some on-the-job exposures.
For example, farmers exposed to pesticides have been shown in some =
studies to have a higher-than-average risk of Parkinson's disease, as =
have welders exposed to fumes containing the mineral manganese. Both of =
these occupations were associated with Parkinson's in the current study =
as well.
Hairdressers were at increased risk of death from Alzheimer's disease, =
presenile dementia and motor neuron disease. These findings, Parker and =
his colleagues note, suggest a role for hair dyes, solvents or other =
chemicals used in salons.
Other job-disease relationships, including the higher risks for several =
neurodegenerative conditions among teachers and clergy, "are difficult =
to interpret," according to Park.
One possibility, he and his colleagues note in the report, is that =
people in professional jobs have lower risks of common, =
lifestyle-related diseases like heart disease, which makes them more =
likely than others to die of a neurodegenerative disorder.
As for dentists, dental assistants and veterinarians, there may be a =
role for certain occupational exposures, the researchers speculate. In =
the case of dentistry, that could include exposure to mercury or =
synthetic substances used in dental work. The finding on vets, they add, =
could signal a role for some yet-unidentified chemical or biological =
substance.
SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, July 2005.
"Ils sont fous ces quebecois"
"They are insane these quebekers"
"Est=E1n locos estos quebequeses"
Edouard Bastarache
Irreductible Quebecois
Indomitable Quebeker
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
www.sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/Welcome.html
http://retrodemonstration.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/potier/
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smart2000/index.htm
http://www.digitalfire.com/education/toxicity/
| |
|
