Solvent linked to rise in Parkinson’s

AN industrial chemical once widely used in dry-cleaning solutions, paints and adhesives has been linked to a six-fold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Scientists made the connection after analysing data on 99 sets of twins. One twin in each pair had Parkinson’s and the other did not.

The US researchers studied information about the twins’ lifetime exposures to six solvents previously associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the medical literature. A significant link was found with one, trichloroethylene (TCE). Exposure to the chemical produced a more than six-fold increased likelihood of developing Parkinson’s.