How Heavy Metal Pollution Contributes to Parkinson Disease
7 heavy metals and their impact on the brain
Credit: This article is based on the scientific article “Metal elements and pesticides as risk factors for Parkinson’s disease — A review” by Ullah et al. (Full citations and link available at the end of the article)
As environmental issues become more pressing, the impact on human health becomes more obvious too. For example, reduced biodiversity negatively impacts our health, because for example some wetland plants can remove heavy metals from the environment. Heavy metals are metals with a relatively high density, or with a relative high atomic weight. When heavy metals are not removed and enter our body, especially in higher concentrations, they can impact our health. This is because the toxicity of these metals disturbs the physical balance in our body. This imbalance leads to negative impacts in the entire body, including the brain. In the brain, neurons are damaged through for example inflammations.
One of the consequences of metal toxicity in the brain is the Parkinson disease. This disease is characterized by progressive motor symptoms including tremor, slowness of movement, rigidity, and postural imbalance. It is also characterized by a variety of non-motor symptoms, such as sleep and mood disorders. Workers who…
