A common chemical used to dry clothes may be fueling the rise of the world’s fastest-growing brain disorder, Parkinson’s disease, according to a study.
Trichlorethylene (TCE) has been used for 100 years to decaffeinate coffee, degrease metal and dry clothes.
It has been banned by the food and pharmaceutical industries since the 1970s, but is still used in many states in household products such as cleaning wipes, aerosol cleaners, utensil cleaners, paint removers, spray adhesives, and carpet cleaners and stain removers.
A review of existing research linked the chemical to Parkinson’s disease, based on years of accumulated evidence.
Although its use has been slowly phased out, TCE can still be found in dry cleaning products
lead author Dr. Ray Dorsey of the University of Rochester, New York, said: “For more than a century, TCE has threatened workers, polluted the air we breathe – indoors and outdoors – and contaminated our drinking water. Global use is increasing, not decreasing.’
A 2013 global study found that this increases the risk of the neurological disorder sixfold. TCE is still used as a degreaser.
Dr. Dorsey and colleagues say the toxic chemical may be fueling the rising number of Parkinson’s cases around the world.
About a million people in the US currently suffer from this disease. Doctors diagnose 60,000 Americans each year.
Brian Grant, who spent 12 years in the NBA, was eliminated at the age of 36.
He was probably exposed to TCE when he was three years old. His father, then a Marine, was stationed at Camp Lejeune where it contaminated the US military base.
Amy Lindberg was similarly exposed there while serving as a young Navy captain. 30 years later she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
The study describes others whose exposure came from living near a contaminated site or working with the chemical.
Among them is the late US Senator Johnny Isakson, who left office after being diagnosed in 2015.
Fifty years earlier, he served in the Georgia Air National Guard using TCE to degrease aircraft.
There are thousands of contaminated sites in the US alone. Cleanup and containment must be accelerated, say the researchers.
They are calling for more research to better understand how TCE contributes to Parkinson’s disease and other diseases.
READ MORE: Air in East Palestine is polluted with TCE, benzene and more
The air in East Palestine contains “higher than normal” levels of nine potentially harmful chemicals, including benzene, vinyl chloride, butadiene, naphthalene, o-xylene, trichlorethylene, trichloroethane and p-xylene.
TCE levels in groundwater, drinking water, soil, and outdoor and indoor air should be monitored more closely, and this information should be shared with those who live and work near contaminated sites.
They also call for a definitive end to the use of these chemicals.
Two states, Minnesota and New York, have banned TCE, but the federal government has not, despite findings by the Environmental Protection Agency last year that it poses “an unacceptable risk to human health.”
Previous research indicates a delay of up to 40 years between exposure to TCE and the onset of Parkinson’s disease—a critical opportunity.
There are six million people with the disease worldwide, including 145,000 in the UK.
Famous patients include Sir Billy Connolly, Michael J. Fox and Neil Diamond. The study was published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
The study involved a team of experts from the Netherlands, New York, California and Alabama and was published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
It builds on decades of research linking long-term exposure to the chemical to Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disease that causes damage or death to nerve cells called neurons in the basal ganglia, which control levels of a chemical in the body, the brain, dopamine decreases. , which is essential for controlling the body, is lowered. Movement.
Sufferers often experience stiff muscles that cause the person to freeze, as well as tremors, balance problems and slowed movements. Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological disease in the world, with death and disability from Parkinson’s disease exceeding any other condition.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
