A recent study has found that a widely used chemical may be a direct cause of many cases of Parkinson’s disease.
The study, published in Parkinson’s Disease JournalTrichlorethylene (TCE) is a chemical that is no longer used as much after it was previously linked to an increased risk of cancer and miscarriage.
The researchers caution that the substance’s role in Parkinson’s disease has been largely ignored previously.
The substance was used to remove caffeine from coffee and in dry cleaning of clothes, and the colorless chemical was first linked to Parkinson’s disease, in 1969.
Although its use is now more restricted in the European Union and some US states, the study indicates that even with its ban “we are still exposed to it due to the constant pollution of water and soil.”
Although previous studies linked the substance to disease, the new study confirms this and calls for a greater ban on the substance.
The researchers confirmed that the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease has more than doubled in the past 30 years and, in the absence of change, will double again by 2040.
