The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, Shane O’Brien, has said that while it will continue to call for glyphosate to be banned, its focus needs to extend to raising awareness of its potential dangers, and the need to use personal protective equipment (PPE) around it.
People should be encouraged to take safety measures such as using PPE, if they decide to use products containing glyphosate, he said.
“We will also be advocating for further research into the link between glyphosate and Parkinson’s disease in that regard.
“It should be noted that we are currently supporting University College Cork (UCC) in its ongoing research project regarding exposure to pesticides and Parkinson’s disease,” the CEO said.
A potential link between Parkinson’s disease and pesticide exposure on Irish farms is being investigated in a research study by professor Aideen Sullivan’s team at the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience in UCC, in conjunction with Cork Parkinson’s Association, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and Teagasc.
“A positive of this campaign is that the dangers of glyphosate have been highlighted to a wider audience which will hopefully result in people being more cautious,” said the CEO.
Parkinson’s Ireland has been campaigning alongside Parkinson’s Europe to ban the use of the controversial pesticide.
The CEO said that a vote took place on November 16, in which the EU once again failed to reach a majority vote in favour of renewing the glyphosate licence.
“Despite this, the EU Commission plans to proceed with the 10-year withdrawal.
“We are extremely disappointed with this decision. We believe that this decision is not in line with the precautionary principle where preventative decision making should take place when there are potential risks to health.”
Dr. Lucy Collins Stack of UCC, said that the current research is looking at the rates of PPE worn by people in Irish farming communities:
“It seems that people with Parkinson’s disease use PPE less than people who don’t have Parkinson’s disease. We are currently analysing the data and trying to spread awareness of the harmful effects of pesticides, but we have not specifically examined glyphosate yet.”
Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has advice on the use of PPE on its website.