A growing body of evidence suggests pesticides may play a role in Parkinson’s disease (PD) in humans. Self­reported PD has been associ­ated with lifetime use of pesticides, and animal studies have suggested that the pesticides paraquat and rotenone can cause oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, respectively—posited mechanisms of action in PD—as well as symptoms in rodents similar to human PD. Now, researchers have linked human exposure to paraquat and rotenone with PD.

Although public concern has focused on the environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the public health impact on a broad range of coastal communities is minimally known. The authors sought to determine the acute level of distress (depression, anxiety), mechanisms of adjustment (coping, resilience), and perceived risk in a community indirectly impacted by the oil spill and to identify the extent to which economic loss may explain these factors.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF), a widely used organophosphorus pesticide (OP), is metabolized to CPF-oxon, a potent cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitor, and trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy). Urinary TCPy is often used as a biomarker for CPF exposure, whereas blood ChE activity is considered an indicator of CPF toxicity. However, whether these biomarkers are dose related has not been studied extensively in populations with repeated daily OP exposures. The authors sought to determine the relationship between blood ChE and urinary TCPy during repeated occupational exposures to CPF.

Fuel (diesel and petrol) constitutes a complex mixture of volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbons among them benzene (BZ), toluene (TOL), and xylene (XYL) are considered to be the most hazardous, predominantly BZ because of its carcinogenic potency. Exposure to these compounds may have an impact on the health of the exposed subjects.

Even as the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station continue to leak radiation, researchers have begun laying the groundwork for studies that will look for any long-term effects on public health.

In October, 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) completed a review of the more than 100 agents classified as “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1). These assessments will be published in six parts as Volume 100 of the IARC Monographs (Volumes 100A—F).

The documentary Bananas!

A survey done by Kerala government in October shows 2,210 people from 11 gram panchayats in Kasaragod are affected by endosulfan. But the muted figure did not go down well with activists fighting for endosulfan victims as the survey was done in three-four days and covered only a part of the district. Down To Earth reports on the endosulfan sufferers in Kerala still not recognised.