Mounting Evidence Links Pesticides to Parkinson’s Disease
Add the serious degenerative neurological condition Parkinson’s disease to the list of Monsanto-related illnesses, says a new study published in the journal Neurotoxicology & Teratology.
Researchers at the Department of Neurology & Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine conducted the study, titled “Glyphosate induced cell death through apoptotic and authophagic mechanisms,” last year. Among the study’s findings was a strong correlation between Monsanto’s glyphosate-based pesticide (marketed as Roundup) and neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s.
Glyphosate, a neurotoxin, appeared to inhibit viability of different PC12 test cells in various conditions, and induced cell death, bringing clarity to long-standing suspicions that glyphosate exposure was connected with cases of Parkinson’s, according to study authors. The researchers state that herbicides including glyphosate have been recognized “as the main environmental factor associated with human neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.” Parkinson’s effects the central nervous system and is connected with the death of dopamine-generating cells in the brain leaving its victims with impaired motor skills, shaking, paralysis, cognitive disorders and dementia.
Monsanto’s Roundup is the best-selling pesticide in the world and is the companion chemical application to many of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds including corn, soy, canola and cotton. It has been connected to a number of human health issues including neurological disorders, birth defects, organ damage and cancer. Seeds are engineered to tolerate heavy doses of the pesticide application used to thwart weeds and insects, making the seeds and crops pesticides themselves. Genetically modified ingredients are found in more than 80 percent of processed food in the U.S.
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