Association of environmental toxins with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

At a glance

An evaluation of the association between occupational exposures and environmental toxins with the development of ALS

Affiliates

Feng-Chiao Su1, Stephen A. Goutman2, Sergey Chernyak1, Bhramar Mukherjee3, Brian C. Callaghan2, Stuart Batterman1, Eva L. Feldman2,4

  1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan
  2. Department of Neurology, University of Michigan
  3. Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan
  4. A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, University of Michigan

Journal

JAMA Neurology

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the association of occupational exposures and environmental toxins on the odds of developing ALS in Michigan. Multivariable models with self-reported occupational exposures in various exposure time windows and environmental toxin blood concentrations were separately fit by logistic regression models. Concordance between the survey data and pollutant measurements was assessed using the nonparametric Kendall τ correlation coefficient. This study found significant associations with several persistent environmental pollutants (measured via blood) and ALS.

Link to paper

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry