Formaldehyde linked to Lou Gehrig's Disease

[RobinN]

WEDNESDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- New preliminary research suggests that exposure to the chemical formaldehyde, present in a variety of workplaces, could greatly increase a person's chances of developing Lou Gehrig's disease.

The findings aren't definitive, and only a few thousand Americans are diagnosed with the condition -- also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- each year.

Still, the study results deserve attention, especially since formaldehyde hasn't been considered an ALS risk factor before, said study author Marc Weisskopf, an assistant professor of epidemiology and environmental health at Harvard School of Public Health. "It's a result that we view as very intriguing and worthy of follow-up."

The findings were scheduled to be released Wednesday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in Chicago.

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/als/614428.html


I am curious what other neurological diseases it could be linked to. This is an ingredient that is in some vaccines. It must be safe since there is no evidence onder:

 

[Bernard]

Formaldehyde is nasty stuff.

 

[RobinN]

So why is it put in vaccines?

http://www.whale.to/vaccines/ingredients.html
http://www.rense.com/general59/vvac.htm
http://www.knowvaccines.com/vaccineingredients.htm
http://www.vaccination.inoz.com/ingredie.html

 

[Bernard]

To preserve the dead?

 

[RobinN]

This is in our babies vaccines....
I was so naive.

 

[Bernard]

Here's the original press release on the story:

Chemical Exposure May Increase Risk of ALS

CHICAGO – Preliminary results show that a common environmental chemical may increase the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12–19, 2008.

The study was based on the Cancer Prevention Study II of the American Cancer Society. Over one million people were asked to report their exposure to 12 types of chemicals. The participants were followed for 15 years, and the number of people who died during that time of ALS was tracked. A total of 617 men and 539 women died from ALS during the study.

Researchers found no significant link between ALS and exposure to most chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides. People who reported that they had regular exposure to formaldehyde, however, were 34 percent more likely to develop ALS than those with no exposure to formaldehyde.

“Although this finding could well be a chance observation, it merits further investigation, particularly because people with longer exposure to formaldehyde had a greater risk of developing ALS than those with shorter exposures,” said study author Marc Weisskopf, PhD, of Harvard University in Boston. “People who reported 10 or more years of exposure were almost four times as likely to develop ALS as those with no exposure.”

Weisskopf said the results are preliminary and more research needs to be done to test the results. “This finding was somewhat surprising, because formaldehyde has not been raised as an issue in ALS before,” he said.

Formaldehyde is used in particle board and other wood products, permanent press fabrics, glues, and other household products, such as cosmetics and shampoo. It is also used as a preservative in medical laboratories and mortuaries, and as an industrial disinfectant.

Weisskopf noted that the participants were asked about their exposure to formaldehyde and other chemicals in 1982. In 1987, formaldehyde was classified as a probable human carcinogen at high exposure levels by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1987.

“Exposure since then has generally decreased, but it certainly isn’t gone,” he said.

The study was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Chemical Exposure May Increase Risk of ALS