Great info Straw!

Hi Jim: Thank you for the positive feedback. Definition of Pesticides include fungicides, herbicides, weed-killer, and insecticides. Pesticide is a neurotoxin, so is mercury. I once read a book by a pediatrician on the link between mercury in shots given to infants, and autism. We are bombarded with neurotoxins like mercury in canned tuna, mercury in infant shots, plus pesticides from food, with rising rate of autism.

A Jewish Mom wrote in a Parent's magazine how she fed her daughter fish everyday ... the child regressed mentally, could not even tie her shoes (a task that she mastered earlier). Her child's memory severely declined. The Mom took her kid to a specialist, the diagnose came back: mercury poisoning. From that time one, her kid can only eat canned tuna (high in mercury), once a year, on her birthday.

I feel so bad about feeding my kid raisins for years ... I didn't know that raisins are high in pesticides. The result? Her mouth & neck spasm, poor sleep, depression, and severe stuttering, which occurs right after 1/2 cup of raisins before bedtime.

The connection between pesticides and Autism is even stronger. Info: "Avoiding these crops can reduce your pesticides consumption levels by as much as 90%. Some of these items are fruit like cherries, apples, peaches, pears and grapes. Vegetables you could avoid are celery, spinach and sweet bell peppers."

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/effects-of-pesticides/

Apple juice is the worst offender, since the skin is crushed to produce juice. Raisins are worst, since chemicals are stuck on tight with the drying process. Strawberries can be washed many times to get rid of chemicals, but not raisins.

My Mom grew broccoli in Michigan, she told me to buy frozen organic broccoli, since she knows how much pesticides she used for her broccoli garden. Trader's Joe sells frozen Organic Broccoli at cheap price. We use to buy that, until my kid turned 3 ... then we fed her regular broccoli, plus apple juice & raisins & dry blueberries. Drastic change in personality: she went from a happy toddler to a grumpy and angry 3-years old from poor sleep.

This past summer my kid ate tons of raisins: like 1 cup a day. She slept poorly, didn't fall asleep until 1 am, then woke up at 10 am, very grumpy. I'm switching from apple juice to orange juice, or making lemon juice from scratch.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-protect-children-from-exposure-to-pesticides/

What Are Some of the Symptoms That Can Occur From Pesticide Exposure? Poisoning by pesticides in humans has caused a myriad of short and long-term nervous system disturbances, including agitation, insomnia, muscle weakness, respiratory agitation, nervousness, irritability, forgetfulness, confusion and depression. In fact, some of the chemicals used in pesticides are actually nerve attacking poisons developed during World War Two.

Dirty dozen are: raisins & grapes, blueberries, strawberries, apple, peach, spinach, celery, potato, red-bell pepper, imported nectarine, cucumber, cherry tomato, imported snap peas, kale & collard greens, summer squash.

Clean 15 are: Avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, papaya, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mango, kiwi, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower, sweet potato. More info:

Top 12 Foods You Should Eat Organically (From lowest to highest amount of pesticides) http://thejourneytogoodhealth.blogspot.com/2012/03/top-12-foods-you-should-eat-organically.html#!

1. Apples: They contain 42 known pesticide residues. Out of the 42 pesticide residues, there are 7 known carcinogens, 19 suspected hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins, 6 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 17 honeybee toxins.

2. Cherries: They contain 42 known pesticide residues. Out of the 42 pesticide residues, 7 known or probable carcinogens, 22 suspected hormone disruptors, 7 neurotoxins, 8 development or reproductive toxins, and 18 honeybee toxins.

3. Green Beans: They contain 44 known pesticide residues. Out of the 44 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 22 suspected hormone disruptors, 11 neurotoxins, 8 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 18 honeybee toxins.

4. Collard Greens and Kale: They contain 46 known pesticide residues. Out of the 46 pesticide residues, there are 9 known carcinogens, 25 suspected hormone disruptors, 10 neurotoxins, 8 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 25 honeybee toxins.

5. Spinach: It contains 48 known pesticides. Out of the 48 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 25 suspected hormone disruptors, 8 neurotoxins, 6 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 23 honeybee toxins.

6. Sweet Bell Peppers: They contain 49 known pesticide residues. Out of the 49 pesticide residues, there are 11 known carcinogens, 26 suspected hormone disruptors, 13 neurotoxins, 10 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 19 honeybee toxins.

7. Lettuce: It contains 51 known pesticide residues. Out of the 51 pesticide residues, there are 12 known carcinogens, 29 suspected hormone disruptors, 9 neurotoxins, 10 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 21 honeybee toxins.

8. Blueberries: They contain 52 known pesticide residues. Out of the 52 pesticide residues, there are 8 known carcinogens, 24 suspected hormone disruptors, 14 neurotoxins, 7 developmental or reproductive toxins, and 21 honeybee toxins.

Honourable Mentions

Broccoli: It contains 33 known pesticide residues

Cucumbers: They contain 35 known pesticide residues

Grapes: They contain 34 known pesticide residues

Potatoes: They contain 37 known pesticide residues

Tomatoes: They contain 35 known pesticide residues

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of dirty dozen produce vs. clean 15

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 11:32

Uhhhh ... MIT doesn't agree with your source.

https://ksj.mit.edu/tracker/2013/03/demolishing-myth-monsantos-engineered-cr/

And WebMD notes some problems with this study as well ....

"Because the study looked back in time, researchers weren't able to collect blood or urine samples to directly measure pesticide exposures. And they looked at risks associated with four different classes of chemicals.

"So this study cannot pinpoint specific substances as a culprit," said Philippe Grandjean, an adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, "Also, they cannot relate to specific levels of exposure, and they have not taken into account the possible contribution by residues in food," he said."

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20140623/study-links-pesticide-exposure-during-pregnancy-to-autism-risk-in-kids

I also note that the differences in brain structure between an autistic brain and a non-autistic brain are in areas that develop in the first trimester, not the last one

===========
Autism diagnoses are a social disease: The STRONGEST correlation for a child's getting an autism diagnosis is having a parent who knows another parent whose child was diagnosed.

And, when you look at other diagnoses, as this graph shows, diagnostic substitution seems to be driving the increase. Generic "mental retardation" is dropping at the same \rate that autism is climbing.

Thank you, lazygardens, for the info. The best way to find out is to have your own child, then feed YOUR KID everyday with canned tuna (high in mercury), plus 1 cup of raisins everyday, plus apple juice, plus all the produce in the dirty-dozen list. You'll see for yourself the effects of neurotoxins that CBS news mentioned.

Debates and charts-manipulation is cheap, I challenge you to test it on your own child, then report back in the future.

From the site http://www.holistichelp.net/pesticides.html

"Pesticides go by a variety of names like insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and bactericides. Anything that is designed to kill weeds, bugs, bacteria and fungus is a pesticide. This includes weed prevention, weed abatement, mosquito fogging, bug bombs, ant spray, mosquito spray, termicides, rodent control, flea and tick spray, lice treatments, bee and wasp spray, crop spraying etc. ...

Neurotoxins
Pesticides were originally designed as nerve gasses for chemical warfare. They were designed to kill living things and when it was discovered that they worked so well in killing people they decided to use them in smaller doses to kill weeds, insects etc.

The chief target organ of pesticides is the brain because pesticides seek out lipids and the brain is highly lipid with a high density of acetylcholinesterase, which is the target enzyme of pesticides. They inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. This enzyme controls the metabolism of our neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

When pesticides inhibit acetylcholinesterase, then high levels of acetylcholine build up and trigger the body to remain in the fight or flight state. This causes the continuous release of norepinephrine, adrenalin and cortisol, which among other things causes high levels of anxiety, increase heart rate, nervousness, insomnia, irritability and can ultimately cause burn out of the adrenal glands."

*** From Strawberryhill: Stuttering, autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's all affect the nervous system. Pesticides are neurotoxins. The fungicides mentioned below, used to spray roses, are linked to Parkinson's disease.

Here is May 13, 2013 article, see excerpts below:

"New research published in the Journal Neurology further supports the link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s disease: Emanuel Cereda, M.D., Ph.D., of the IRCCS University Hospital San Matteo Foundation in Pavia, Italy, and coauthor Gianni Pezzoli, M.D., analyzed 104 studies published between 1975 and 2011 to determine the link between pesticides and solvents to Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers found exposure to pesticides increased the risk of developing the disease by 33 percent to 80 percent. Some pesticides were considered to be of higher risk than others, with weed killers like paraquat and FUNGICIDES MANEB AND MANCOZEB causing twice the risk for development of Parkinson’s disease.

Another recent publication found that rural residents who drank contaminated well water had an increased risk��"up to 90 percent��"of developing Parkinson’s.

People with Parkinson’s have a variety of symptoms including loss of muscle control, trembling and lack of coordination. They may also experience anxiety, constipation, dementia, depression, urinary difficulties and sleep disturbances.

At least 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s and about 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. With less than one percent of cases caused by genetics, researchers have been looking for the potential risk factors for developing Parkinson’s disease."

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides and Parkinson's disease

The link below appears to be pertinent to this thread:
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/oct/pesticides-depression/

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

Going by all this, both my children should have autism and I should have some neurological deficit, as should my husband, since we eat a ton of raisins, drink a lot of apple juice and use it regularly in recipes. And I have always lived in a rural farm area, where pesticides are being used. Did I mention that plenty of people I know and have close relationships to also live in rural farm areas where pesticides are used? My sister has a daughter on the AS (Autism Spectrum) and she has never lived in a rural farm area and is not exposed to pesticides, as she lives in an apartment in a big city.
My children, as well as myself and my husband, are vaccinated (and vaccines used back when I was a child still had mercury). We have not suffered. My sister has chosen to NOT vaccinate since first finding out she was pregnant due to the media hype and her child STILL is on the spectrum.
My point is, in general, no pesticide or heavy metal is necessarily GOOD for anyone, nor is it good for the environment, but to say that they are linked to neurological disorders (using flawed studies and statistics) is a far reach, since each of these disorders can appear in people from a plethora of different locales, exposures, etc.

Hi AuroraWA: Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including CBS news, Fox News, and Science News that highlighted the risks of pesticides, esp. exposure during pregnancy and early childhood. I urge you to click on the links that I and Dr. Henry Kuska included, to see if they are flawed studies as you had criticized. First seek to understand, rather than to judge.

My goal of posting this thread is NOT to invite critics who boast "That didn't bother us", but to save others the tragedies of being harmed by pesticides. Here's an excerpt of the link provided by Dr. Henry Kuska:

"On his farm in Iowa, Matt Peters worked from dawn to dusk planting his 1,500 acres of fields with pesticide-treated seeds. “Every spring I worried about him,” said his wife, Ginnie. “Every spring I was glad when we were done.”

Matt Peters left behind his wife, Ginnie, and two children.

In the spring of 2011, Ginnie Peters' “calm, rational, loving” husband suddenly became depressed and agitated. “He told me ‘I feel paralyzed’,” she said. “He couldn’t sleep or think. Out of nowhere he was depressed.”

A clinical psychologist spoke to him on the phone and urged him to get medical help. “He said he had work to do, and I told him if it’s too wet in the morning to plant beans come see me,” Mike Rossman said. “And the next day I got the call.” Peters took his own life. He was 55 years old."

Here's an excerpt from Reuters Health, see below link: "

(Reuters Health) - In a new study from California, children with an autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have mothers who lived close to fields treated with certain pesticides during pregnancy.

Proximity to agricultural pesticides in pregnancy was also linked to other types of developmental delay among children. “Ours is the third study to specifically link autism spectrum disorders to pesticide exposure, whereas more papers have demonstrated links with developmental delay,” said lead author Janie F. Shelton, from the University of California, Davis.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides exposure in early pregnancy

A graph has been presented in this thread showing Indian farmers' suicide rates versus adoption of Bt cotton has an upper limit of 2007. But the problem is more recent (notice the article below does state: "Bt cotton’s success, it appears, lasted merely five years"- i.e. the graph covers the good years - why was it presented and the bad years ignored?).:

"Policymakers have hailed Bt cotton as a success story but a January 9 internal advisory, a copy of which is with HT, sent out to cotton-growing states by the agriculture ministry presents a grim scenario.

“Cotton farmers are in a deep crisis since shifting to Bt cotton. The spate of farmer suicides in 2011-12 has been particularly severe among Bt cotton farmers,” says the advisory.
Bt cotton’s success, it appears, lasted merely five years. Since then, yields have been falling and pest attacks going up. India’s only GM crop has been genetically altered to destroy cotton-eating pests.

For farmers, rising costs ��"in the form of pesticides ��" have not matched returns, pushing many to the brink, financially and otherwise. Simply put, Bt cotton is no more as profitable as it used to be.

“In fact cost of cotton cultivation has jumped…due to rising costs of pesticides. Total Bt cotton production in the last five years has reduced,” says the advisory."

-------------------------------------------
Here is a 2014 article:

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2014/may/05/india-cotton-suicides-farmer-deaths-gm-seeds

Here is a link that might be useful: link to first article with 5 year quote

Thank you, Dr. Henry Kuska, for pointing out the OUTDATED graph in another poster's argument ( lazygarden's). I appreciate your scientific accuracy and extensive research on this topic.

The other poster (AuroraWA) argued that her family lives in rural area and yet healthy, versus her sister's child living in a big city's apartment with autism. I live in a big city near Chicago, yet we are bombarded with pesticides, from the city's frequent mosquito sprayings, to the neighbors' spending $200 per year on spraying pesticides on their lawn, to prevent fleas and weeds on lawn.

The apartment is even worse, when I was single & living in the city's apartment, I saw a silver fish in my boxes in the storage room. I reported to the manager, and they used a "bug bomb" ... afterwards I had the worst allergies, with nasal inflammation. A heavily sprayed enclosed apartment is many times worse than open country side.

I re-post the info. before: "From the site http://www.holistichelp.net/pesticides.html

"Pesticides go by a variety of names like insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and bactericides. This includes weed prevention, weed abatement, mosquito fogging, bug bombs, ant spray, mosquito spray, termicides, rodent control, flea and tick spray, lice treatments, bee and wasp spray, crop spraying etc. ...

This excerpt is from eHow "One of the main ingredients of weed-and-feed, 2, 4-D is a neurotoxin once found in the product Agent Orange. The chemical 2, 4-D has been documented to cause neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, cancer and hormonal disruptions. This information was confirmed by the Extension Toxicology Network in 1996. These health risks are especially dangerous to children who are still growing and developing.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_5976662_cons-weed-feed.html

Let's not forget about pesticides and cancer. In my big city, if your lawn is not sprayed, your neighbors complain about dandelions blowing on theirs. My neighbor died of brain cancer the same day that my daughter was born. Another has kidney cancer, another has prostrate cancer. That's why I pull weeds by hands, and no longer use Weed & Feed. See excerpt from link below:

"The most convincing evidence that pesticides are carcinogens comes from epidemiological studies. Farmers who frequently use 2,4-D have a six-fold increase in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Scientists believe that the use of lawn chemicals such as 2,4-D has been a significant factor in the 50% rise in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma over the past 20 years in the American population. (World health Organization. 2,4-D Environmental Aspects. Geneva, Switzerland, 1989.)

2,4-D has also been linked to malignant lymphoma in dogs. Pets are exposed to higher doses of pesticides because they are closer to the ground where concentrations are the highest. Parts of their bodies, such as their scrotum and armpits, are often directly exposed to pesticides. They also ingest pesticides when they are grooming themselves. Studies show that the risk of lymphomas doubled in dogs whose owners treated lawns four times a year.

The lawn pesticides, mancozeb and chlorothalonil have been classified by the EPA as "probable" cancer causing chemicals in humans, as they have been found to cause cancer in animals. Mancozeb has also been found to react with sunlight to form a new compound the EPA categorizes as a "known" human carcinogen.

The common lawn pesticide 2,4-D has been shown to increase the risk of lymphatic cancer in farmers six times the normal rate, according to a National Cancer Institute report. (Sinclair, W. 18 Studies Show Why Pesticides Are More Dangerous than Previously Realized. Tampa, Florida)

A University of Iowa study found that working as a golf superintendent significantly increased one’s risk of getting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, brain cancer, lung cancer, large intestine cancer, and prostrate cancer. Other experts are starting to find that golfers, and non-golfers who live near golf courses, are experiencing similar health problems. A 1996 research project studied brain cancer rates among 600 people. The research demonstrated a twofold increase risk for developing brain cancer for people who lived within 2600 feet of an agricultural area. (American Journal of Public Health, 86(9): 1289-96, 1996.) In 1983 the National Cancer Institute studied 3,827 Florida pesticide applicators who had been spraying for more than 20 years. They found that these pesticide applicators had nearly 3 times the risk of developing lung cancer and 2 times the risk of developing brain cancer. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides and cancer

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 14:58

Gee, guys! I was NOT being critical. Studies ARE flawed because, no matter where you live or what you are exposed to, you are at risk of getting, or having a child with, these neurological issues. And they occur EVERYWHERE, not just in rural areas, not just in people exposed to high levels of mercury or pesticides. I work in a Medical Examiner's office, so we see the end results of exposure to many toxins. The point to my thread was to be skeptical of ANY research done, because we just don't know what causes what. As far as Parkinson's Disease, there are studies that show that forms of it are GENETIC.
I cannot believe how critical people can be of others' opines.

The one thing I WILL be critical about is those that don't vaccinate their children because they think the risk far outweighs the benefit (autism). We need vaccinations to protect those who REALLY cannot have them due to allergies or medical issues.

I'm going to adopt Dr. Henry's approach of presenting info., and let the readers form their own opinion:

Dr. Graham Glass, M.D., answered the question on Parkinson's, see link below: "The question as to whether Parkinson disease is hereditary is quite complicated. Researchers now think that about 7 or 8 percent of patients with PD have a direct genetic link.

This is much more likely to be the case if your parents had onset of Parkinson disease in their 40s or younger. Otherwise it is much less likely. For the remaining people with Parkinson disease, we think that there may be certain genes that put them at an increased risk of developing PD, and that these genes may interact with other genes and environmental factors such as pesticide exposure to result in Parkinson disease.

Unless your parents were tested for the specific genes associated with PD, it is virtually impossible to tell you how likely you are to get PD, but genetic cases of PD remain by far in the minority of cases. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Is Parkinson's Hereditary?

This was posted by ABC news, channel 6, on June 12, 2014. "Woman killed after exposure to pesticide: At approximately 7:50 pm on Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 the Jefferson County 911 Center received a call for medical assistance. The caller stated that the woman had inhaled some poison and complained of being weak and unable to move. The woman was transported to the Jefferson Hospital Emergency Room by Gold Cross EMS. The woman was pronounced dead at approximately 12:50 am on June 12th.

Apparently, a relative of the deceased distributed an agricultural insecticide in her home earlier Wednesday morning to kill roaches and other insects. The insecticide released a gas that was inhaled by her and a 12 year old male that lived with her.

The insecticide used in Green's home was identified as "Fumitoxin" (Aluminum Phosphide). It was in a tablet form and when exposed to moisture in the atmosphere, it activates and emits phosphine gas. The insecticide is commonly used by farmers to kill weevils, mice, and all other insects in stored crops, such as small grain and corn. The tablets are placed in grain storage bins and sealed to allow the phosphine gas to penetrate and kill any mammal inside the storage bin."

Here is a link that might be useful: ABC news on woman killed by pesticide

Oy vey. I'm only going to comment about one specific post. If you are going to report about an incident where a pesticide caused a death, at least report it accurately.

This was posted by ABC news, channel 6, on June 12, 2014. "Woman killed after exposure to pesticide: At approximately 7:50 pm on Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 the Jefferson County 911 Center received a call for medical assistance. The caller stated that the woman had inhaled some poison and complained of being weak and unable to move. The woman was transported to the Jefferson Hospital Emergency Room by Gold Cross EMS. The woman was pronounced dead at approximately 12:50 am on June 12th.

Apparently, a relative of the deceased distributed an agricultural insecticide in her home earlier Wednesday morning to kill roaches and other insects. The insecticide released a gas that was inhaled by her and a 12 year old male that lived with her.

The insecticide used in Green's home was identified as "Fumitoxin" (Aluminum Phosphide). It was in a tablet form and when exposed to moisture in the atmosphere, it activates and emits phosphine gas. The insecticide is commonly used by farmers to kill weevils, mice, and all other insects in stored crops, such as small grain and corn. The tablets are placed in grain storage bins and sealed to allow the phosphine gas to penetrate and kill any mammal inside the storage bin."

You forgot to include the part of the article that says: "According to the applicator's manual, it should never be used in a home or building occupied by humans." It was the relative using the pesticide improperly that caused this woman to die. If the relative would have read the label they would have known NOT to use it in the house. This was entirely preventable.

Rodney

Yeah, yeah, I said I was only going to comment about one thing but decided to check up on something that was nagging at me. This is regarding the mother who fed her child canned tuna every day. According to the mom's own words, not only was her kid eating canned tuna daily but they also ate sushi (how often they ate it isn't known): "And you should have seen her in a sushi restaurant, happily gobbling up maki rolls."

It should be common knowledge (and I thought it was) that large, long-living, predatory fish (like tuna) accumulate mercury in their tissues, more so than short-lived faster growing fish. So I looked for info on how much canned tuna is recommended and according to the site EDF (Environmental Defense Fund), which gives info from the EPA, she was feeding her kid way, way too much. Here is what they have to say:

"The tuna sandwich is a lunchbox staple. But several species of tuna, like other large ocean fish, contain higher-than-average amounts of mercury.

This is of particular concern for young children, whose nervous system, brain, heart, kidneys and lungs are all susceptible to the harmful effects of mercury.

But parents and kids need not give up tuna altogether.

There are two main kinds of canned tuna: chunk light and solid or chunk white (albacore). Most canned white tuna is albacore. Its mercury levels are almost three times higher than the smaller skipjack, used in most canned light tuna.

These recommendations are based on EPA guidance and estimates of mercury in the most popular canned tunas:

Canned white, or albacore (0.32 parts per million of mercury). Children under six can eat up to one 3-ounce portion a month; children from 6-12, two 4.5-ounce portions a month. Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat it up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).

Canned light- the safer choice (0.12 parts per million of mercury). Children under six can eat up to three 3-ounce portions per month. Older children and adults can safely eat it once a week. But look out for “gourmet” or “tonno” labels. They are made with bigger yellowfin tuna and can contain mercury levels comparable to canned white."

Now after reading that, feeding a kid that much tuna is like feeding the kid lead paint chips (obviously they aren't the same substance but you get the idea). Of course it's going to be detrimental.

Rodney

Here is a link that might be useful: Mercury alert: Is canned tuna safe to eat?

This post was edited by theforgottenone1013 on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 22:43

Thank you, Rodney for the info, much appreciated.

ConsumerReport adopt a more conservative approach. See an excerpt from the below link: "In 2006 we scrutinized the results of the FDA’s tests in 2002 to 2004 of mercury levels in hundreds of samples of canned tuna. The agency’s white-tuna samples averaged 0.353 ppm; light tuna, 0.118 ppm. But we found that as much as 6 percent of the FDA’s light-tuna samples had at least as much mercury as the average in white tuna��"in some cases more than twice as much.

Given the uncertainties about the impact of occasional fetal exposure to such high levels, we urged the FDA to warn consumers about occasional spikes in mercury levels in canned light tuna. More than four years later, the FDA still hasn’t issued such a warning. Bottom line

Canned tuna, especially white, tends to be high in mercury, and younger women and children should limit how much they eat. As a precaution, pregnant women should avoid tuna entirely."

Here is a link that might be useful: Consumer reports on tuna and mercury

I give up. As a member of the medical field, and as the daughter of a parent who has early onset Parkinson's, I am well aware of the percentage of hereditary vs. "environmental" PD. The percentages you state are incorrect, however.
There are abnormalities in certain genes that GUARANTEE you will have Parkinson's Disease, regardless of external or environmental exposures. These are called causal genes and make up for about 2% of all Parkinson's persons. This is the "genetic" Parkinson's.
Then, there are other abnormal genes that, combined with environmental exposures, increase the RISK of PD. These are associated genes and make up for an unknown percentage of persons with PD. Here is the deal with associated genes: just because you have the abnormalities in these genes DOES NOT MEAN you WILL get PD, but external factors MAY play a role in increasing the risk. On the flip side, just because you DO NOT have these abnormal genes does NOT guarantee you WON'T get PD, even if external environmental risks are not a factor.
The thing about the ASSOCIATED GENES is that genetics CANNOT be ruled out, as well, since genes are inherited. These abnormal genes may be present at birth, because they were inherited, or external factors may have damaged them. NO ONE KNOWS. So, in fact, we DO NOT KNOW the percentage of Parkinson's sufferers who have a genetic form or a STRICT environmental form.

Again, I am trying to iterate that for MANY diseases and neurological issues, THERE IS NO KNOWN FACTOR. Only speculation.
I am so tired of people INSISTING that mercury or pesticides or gluten or WHATEVER is the reason for illnesses that have no known cause.

Again, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and other toxins are NOT good, I agree. They are bad for bees, bad for the ozone, and bad for humans. Mercury is poisonous in large amounts, but so is water.

But it is a LARGE leap to state they are the cause of many
(or as some fanatics will say, ALL) neurological issues and diseases. Especially when research into this is actually fairly new and there are not enough UNBIASED results. An example: There is no real link between autism and mercury, but those opposed to vaccination will SWEAR up and down that mercury causes autism and can link the "research papers" to prove it. Dr. Andrew Wakefield was one of those "researchers" and he has been proven a fraud and Britain stripped him of his medical license for his "research paper" linking autism to mercury.

Hi AuroraWA: You are right about the genetic factor which raise the risk of PD & plus more sensitive to pesticides. Not everyone is allergic to raisins like my kid, she has hay fever and many food allergies, which make her sensitive to pesticides. Raisins also has sulfur dioxide added as preservative. Sulfur dioxide is highest in yellow raisins, and that's her favorite for the past years.

Thank God that my kid stops stuttering and neck-muscle-spasm after removal of raisins and dirty-dozen produce from her diet. Sam's Club, Walmart, and Trader's Joe all have organic produce at decent price. Genetic factor: if I have 1/4 cup of wine, I break out in rash rather than muscle-spasm.

There's a genetic factor in Parkison's which makes a person more sensitive to pesticides. In my previous link on PD and hereditary, a twin posted on how his identical twin has PD, and he doesn't, see below link: "My identical twin brother has had Parkinson's for 14 years or so and has diskonesia; a side effect from the drugs he takes to manage his parkinsons. As we know identical twins start out from one egg and split into equal parts. Needless to say I don't have Parkinson's and can guarantee I will not get it. My twin brother is confined to his unit where he lives mostly and has cracked 9 ribs as well as his sturnum with the many falls caused by parkinsons." http://www.caring.com/questions/parkinsons-disease-hereditary

Here's an excerpt from WebMD: "The UCLA researchers also found that people with a common variant of the ALDH2 gene are particularly vulnerable to these ALDH-inhibiting pesticides, according to a university news release. People with the variant are two to six times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those without the variant when exposed to the pesticides.

The levels at which the pesticides inhibit ALDH are much lower than those at which they are currently used, according to the study in the Feb. 5 online issue of the journal Neurology ... "These pesticides are pretty ubiquitous, and can be found in our food supply and are used in parks and golf courses and in pest control inside buildings and homes."

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/news/20140203/more-pesticides-linked-to-parkinsons-risk

From the below link: "According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation: Epidemiological research has identified several factors that may be linked to Parkinson’s, including rural living, well water, manganese and pesticides.

Some studies have demonstrated that prolonged occupational exposure to certain chemicals is associated with an elevated risk of PD [Parkinson’s disease]. These include the insecticides permethrin and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), the herbicides paraquat and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and the fungicide maneb. In 2009, the US Department of Veterans Affairs added Parkinson’s to a list of diseases possibly associated with exposure to Agent Orange.”

Separate research has further revealed that ambient exposure to organophosphate pesticides also increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.6 Rotenone and paraquat are two additional pesticides linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, and both are lipophilic, meaning they resist breaking down in water and accumulate in your fat. Both are also known to cross your blood-brain barrier.

Dousing our crops with large amounts of glyphosate ��" the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup ��" may be another factor in the rising rates of Parkinson’s disease we’re now seeing,7 as these residues are found in all virtually all food containing genetically modified ingredients. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides that trigger PD

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 9:39

The below pdf-file is excellent that it deserves a separate link ... the most comprehensive paper on Parkinson's, listing symptoms: "Loss of muscle control, trembling and lack of coordination, anxiety, constipation, dementia, depression, urinary difficulty, and sleeping disturbances." It also lists the pesticides that PD-genetic-variant are sensitive to.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paper on Pesticides trigger Parkinson's

Strawberryhill, do you even read my entire post? I don't need links to PD. I have thoroughly researched the issue, being in the medical field and having a parent with PD.
It's like everything BUT my AGREEMENTS with pesticides possibly being linked to illness, is ignored. I also bring up many points that are quite valid about flawed, biased, and (gasp) even financially motivated research and how one should not take EVERY SINGLE STUDY done that favors their "side" to heart. Some of these studies have been proven false. And many have no real ground, as the data is either old, incomplete, or lacks enough of a "pool". But the sheeple still follow.
Again, I do not discount that pesticides and other chemicals/metals/etc. cause health problems. But they cannot be used as an excuse for every flippin' sickness. Especially illnesses that are being newly researched.
I don't know why I am explaining myself. It is just in one ear and out the other.
/Fin