Long-Term Exposure to Pesticides May Be Linked to Dementia

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101201191134.htm

ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2010) — Long term exposure to pesticides may be linked to the development of dementia, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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This decline in MMSE score "is particularly striking in view of the short duration of follow up and the relatively young age of the participants," say the authors, who add that previous research has already reported an association between pesticide exposure and poor performance for several of the tests used in this study.

"The mild impairment we observed raises the question of the potentially higher risks of injury in this population and also of the possible evolution towards neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," they say.

And they add: "Numerous studies have shown that low cognitive performances are associated with risk of dementia."

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