Trichloroethylene and parkinsonism: a human and experimental observation

This report describes the case of a 47-year-old woman who developed Parkins on's disease after seven years of professional exposure to trichloroethylen e. In the light of this clinical report, mice were intoxicated with trichlo roethylene and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity was used to measure ne uronal death in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Treated mice presented significant dopaminergic neuronal death in comparison with control mice (50 %). The environmental trichlorethylene pollution, as well as other unspecif ic neurotoxic solvents, could potentially contribute to the genesis of some casts of Parkinson's disease. Eur J Neurol 6:609-611 (C) 1999 Lippincott W illiams & Wilkins.