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Motor neuron disease

Environmental toxins — modifiable risk factors for ALS?

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 12, pages 370–371 (2016)Cite this article

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Environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and flame retardants, are associated with an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and could represent modifiable risk factors for this condition, according to new research by Eva Feldman, Stephen Goutman and colleagues at the University of Michigan, USA.

“We were concerned about the high rates of ALS in the state of Michigan and the possibility of case clusters,” explains Goutman. “We believe that Michigan is a region with historically heightened pollution, and we wondered whether these environmental effects could have some influence on the likelihood of developing ALS.”

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References

  1. Su, F.-C. et al. Association of environmental toxins with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. JAMA Neurol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0594 (2016)

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  1. Heather Wood
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Al-Chalabi, A. & Hardiman, O. The epidemiology of ALS: a conspiracy of genes, environment and time. Nat. Rev. Neurol. 9, 617–628 (2013)

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Wood, H. Environmental toxins — modifiable risk factors for ALS?. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 370–371 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.77

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