Scientists from UCLA and Harvard University have identified 10 pesticides that kill neurons that can lead to the development of Parkinson’s disease. The results of the research were published in the journal Nature Communication.
The researchers looked at the decades-long history of pesticide exposure in 288 Parkinson’s patients who participated in previous studies.
They were able to identify 53 pesticides that turned out to be linked to Parkinson’s disease. Most have not been previously studied for their potential association with Parkinson’s disease and are still used in agriculture.
The scientists then tested the toxicity of many of these pesticides on dopaminergic neurons derived from patients with Parkinson’s disease. The researchers found 10 pesticides that were directly toxic to these cells: dicofol, endosulfan, naled, propargite, diquat, endothallus, trifluralin, copper sulfate pentahydrate, and folpet.
Researchers have also found that exposure to pesticide combinations (especially trifluralin) used on cotton is more toxic than exposure to any pesticide.