Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) has been associated with various workplace factors, but the evidence is inconsistent.
Objective: To estimate the risk of PD associated with various jobs and workplace exposures.
Methods: We conducted a population-based, case-control study of 404 incident PD cases and 526 age and sex-matched controls, collecting self-reported work histories including job titles and exposures to various industrial toxicants. Relative risks of PD from these exposures were estimated with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using logistic regression.
Results: Risk was not significantly affected by farming work, by metal work, or by exposure to pesticides, metals, or solvents.
Conclusions: These findings do not provide support for the hypothesis that workplace factors affect the risk of PD.
2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.