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Exposure to toxic occupations and their association with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review with meta-analysis

  • Tamara Chambers-Richards , Yingying Su , Batholomew Chireh ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Carl D’Arcy
Published/Copyright: November 18, 2021
Reviews on Environmental Health
From the journal Reviews on Environmental Health Volume 38 Issue 1

Abstract

Objectives

Earlier longitudinal reviews on environmental and occupational toxins and Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk have limitations. This study aimed to determine the strength of association between three types of toxic occupational exposures and the occurrence of PD by diagnostic methods.

Methods

A search was conducted of EMBASE, PubMed/Medline, Toxnet, LILACS, and Cochrane Library databases for longitudinal studies that assessed toxic occupational exposure, Parkinsonian, or related disorders, diagnosed by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, medical records, or confirmation by a neurologist/nurse, and published in the English language from January 1990 to July 2021. Pooled risk ratios (RR) estimates were produced using random-effects models. Systematic review with meta-analysis synthesized the results. Study quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias were examined. High-quality articles that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed.

Results

Twenty-four articles were used in the analyses. The pooled RR for electromagnetic exposure and PD were (RR=1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91–1.16) while the pooled RR between PD and metal and pesticide exposure were (RR=1.07, 95% CI 0.92–1.24) and (RR=1.41, 95% CI 1.20–1.65), respectively. Pooled RR for methods of diagnosis and their associations with PD were: confirmation by a neurologist or nurse (RR=2.17, 95% CI 1.32–3.54); ICD codes (RR=1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.26), and medical records (RR=1.06, 95% CI 0.92–1.21).

Conclusions

Our systematic review provides robust evidence that toxic occupational exposures are significant risk factors for PD especially those diagnosed by neurologists or nurses using standardized methods.

Keywords: meta-analysis; occupational exposure; Parkinson’s disease (PD); systematic review; toxic
Corresponding author: Batholomew Chireh, PhD, Epidemiologist, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, 1804 McOrmond Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7S 0A6, Canada, Phone: +1 306 514 0662, E-mail:

Funding source: University of Saskatchewan

Funding source: Western Regional Training Center

  1. Research funding: First author received financial support from University of Saskatchewan School of Public Health Scholarship program and the Western Regional Training Center.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  5. Ethical approval: Not applicable.

  6. Availability of data and material: The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study came from already published literatures that were pooled and re-analyzed. The data for this manuscript is available upon reasonable request from the first author.

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Received: 2021-08-24
Accepted: 2021-11-03
Published Online: 2021-11-18
Published in Print: 2023-03-28

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  4. Electronic waste exposure and DNA damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis
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  8. Interventions of Unani medicine for maintenance of health with special reference to air quality: an evidence-based review
  9. A review of microplastic pollution in commercial fish for human consumption
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  15. Association between food additives and prevalence of allergic reactions in children: a systematic review
  16. The radionuclides contamination in eggs as an environmental marker: a systematic review
  17. Letter to the Editor
  18. Comment on Martin L. Pall “Millimeter (MM) wave and microwave frequency radiation produce deeply penetrating effects: the biology and the physics”, Rev Environ Health, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0111
Keywords for this article
meta-analysis; occupational exposure; Parkinson’s disease (PD); systematic review; toxic

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Articles
  3. Carbon nanomaterial-involved EMT and CSC in cancer
  4. Electronic waste exposure and DNA damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  5. Risk factors for heat-related illnesses during the Hajj mass gathering: an expert review
  6. A decade of research on housing and health: a systematic literature review
  7. Exposure to toxic occupations and their association with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review with meta-analysis
  8. Interventions of Unani medicine for maintenance of health with special reference to air quality: an evidence-based review
  9. A review of microplastic pollution in commercial fish for human consumption
  10. Prevalence and causes of unreported needle stick injuries among health care workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  11. “Failing kidneys in a failing planet; CKD of unknown origin”
  12. Exposure to ambient gaseous air pollutants and adult lung function: a systematic review
  13. Children’s exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs): a review on urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and associated health effects
  14. Neurobiological effects of urban built and natural environment on mental health: systematic review
  15. Association between food additives and prevalence of allergic reactions in children: a systematic review
  16. The radionuclides contamination in eggs as an environmental marker: a systematic review
  17. Letter to the Editor
  18. Comment on Martin L. Pall “Millimeter (MM) wave and microwave frequency radiation produce deeply penetrating effects: the biology and the physics”, Rev Environ Health, 2021
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