news-date">12:22 16 Apr 2024, updated 12:28 16 Apr 2024
news-reporter">By Caitlin Tilley, Health Reporter
Pesticides, Paint, and Woodworking Supplies May be Linked to ALS
- Storing chemicals in an attached garage showed a stronger link than detached
- READ MORE: Surprising foods teeming with cancer-causing ‘forever chemicals’
Chemicals in your garage may raise your risk of the muscle-wasting condition that killed Stephen Hawking, a study suggests.
Researchers found that storing chemicals – including gasoline, weed killer, pesticides, paint, and woodworking supplies – in a garage connected to the home may be linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
The more chemicals someone had in their garage, the higher the risk of the condition that still has no known cause.
Garage Storage Increases ALS Risk
‘Exposures in the home setting are an important part of the development of ALS,’ said lead study author Dr Stephen Goutman, associate director of the ALS Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan.
Study Findings and Possible Explanations
Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at more than 600 American participants – 367 who had ALS and 255 who did not.
Participants were given a survey about their exposure to chemicals at home, with questions about which chemicals they stored in their garage as well as whether their garage was attached to their house or separate.
After statistical analysis, they found that the storage of chemicals was significantly associated with ALS risk.
Storing chemicals in a detached garage, however, did not show as strong of an association with risk.
The researchers said this may be due to the flow of air and airborne pollutants from attached garages to the living space.
‘Especially in colder climates, air in the garage tends to rush into the house when the entry door is opened, and air flows occur more or less continuously through small cracks and openings in walls and floors,’ said Stuart Batterman, senior author and professor of environmental health science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
About ALS
ALS is a neurogenerative disorder that impacts the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain. It gets progressively worse and causes significant muscle control loss in people who have it.
There is no known cause of ALS, and heredity plays a factor in a small number of cases.
Further Research and Resources
For more information about ALS and related topics, you can visit the ALS Association website.
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