Chemical linked to Parkinson's disease

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, U.S. researchers say.

Study author Dr. Samuel Goldman of the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif., says trichloroethylene was once a popular industrial solvent used in dry cleaning and to clean grease off metal parts, but due to other health concerns the chemical is no longer widely used.

For the study, researchers obtained job histories from 99 pairs of twins in which only one of the twins had Parkinson's disease. All of the twins were men and from the World War II-Veterans Twins Cohort study.

The scientists used twins in the study because they are genetically identical or very similar and provide an ideal population for evaluating environmental risk factors, Goldman said.

The study found workers who were exposed to tricholorethylene were five-and-a-half times more likely to have Parkinson's disease than people not exposed to the chemical. Those who were exposed to tricholorethylene had job histories including work as dry cleaners, machinists, mechanics or electricians.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd annual meeting in Toronto April 10-17.