Once widely used in applications ranging from decaffeinated coffee to typewriter correction fluids, trichlorethylene has been identified as a potential cause of many cases of Parkinson’s disease in a new study.
Trichlorethylene (TCE), which has already been linked to an increased risk of cancer and miscarriage, is not as widely used as it used to be. The researchers behind the new report believe that its role in the development of Parkinson’s disease has been largely overlooked. They brought together data on the extent to which TCE was used in industrial processes, reviewed previous studies linking the chemical to Parkinson’s disease, and examined several cases where TCE and the disease may well have been linked.
At Focus. Technologies has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe to not miss the latest and exciting news from the world of science!
“TCE is a simple six-atom molecule that can decaffeinate coffee, degrease metal parts, and dry clothing,” the researchers write in their published paper. “The colorless chemical was first linked to parkinsonism in 1969.”
TCE use peaked in the 1970s, when about 10 million people in the United States alone came into daily contact with this chemical or something similar. It was used for everything from cleaning engines to anaesthetizing patients.
Although the use of TCE is currently significantly limited in the EU and some US states, it continues to be in demand worldwide, especially in China. The researchers argue that even where the chemical is banned, we are still exposed to it due to the constant contamination of water and soil.
In addition, there is an association with Parkinson’s disease: the researchers cite several previous studies, including one involving three industrial workers and one involving an auto mechanic. In a 2011 study of 198 twins, those exposed to TCE were five times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.
Despite these and other studies showing the detrimental effects of TCE in animals, the exact nature of the relationship has not yet been confirmed. There are many reasons for this, including that people do not know what they have come into contact with or that they have been exposed to several potentially toxic chemicals at the same time.
“The time between exposure and the onset of disease can be decades,” the researchers write. “People, if they knew about the effects of a chemical on them, could have long forgotten about it. work or move, making it difficult to assess potential clusters retrospectively.”
The new study’s team now wants to achieve a total ban on the use of TCE and its closely related perchlorethylene (PCE), as well as the decontamination of sites where TCE exposure is known to have occurred in the past.
In addition, the researchers want a more detailed and thorough study of the link between TCE and Parkinson’s disease. Given the rise in the number of cases of this disease, it can be assumed that something in modern life makes us more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease. This chemical may be part of the answer.
“Over the past 30 years, the number of people with Parkinson’s disease has more than doubled. If the situation does not change, then by 2040 the number will double again,” the researchers write, “the growing rate of development of the disease is very rapid, more rapid than previously thought.” .
Focus has previously written about a cough medicine that appears to be able to treat Parkinson’s disease. Studies show that the drug has the ability to penetrate the brain and destroy metabolites.
