Dr Ray Dorsey, a neurologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and author of Ending Parkinson’s Disease, believes a Parkinson’s epidemic is on the horizon. Asked about the future of Parkinson’s disease in the US, Dr Dorsey says, “We’re on the tip of a very, very large iceberg.”
Environmental Exposure
Most cases of Parkinson’s disease are considered idiopathic – they lack a clear cause.
- Researchers increasingly believe that one factor is environmental exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical compound used in industrial degreasing, dry-cleaning, and household products such as some shoe polishes and carpet cleaners.
TCE is currently estimated to be present in about 30% of US groundwater
Using activated carbon filtration devices can help reduce TCE in drinking water, yet bathing in contaminated water, as well as inhaling vapours from toxic groundwater and soil, can be far more difficult to avoid.
Policy and effective government intervention are crucial
Failure to address the issue will not only continue to negatively affect people’s health but will exacerbate the adult home care crisis that has already left 50 million Americans responsible for providing care to sick loved ones
- Given that the negative health effects of TCE have been documented in the Journal of the American Medical Association since 1932, it’s well past time for the US to stop using it, and to better protect its civilians from hazardous chemicals that put lives at risk
