Exposure to Toxic Solvents Linked to Parkinson's Disease

Diethylenetriamine . . . blew the whistle on a former employer sloshing 5 gallon buckets of this stuff on the floor in a semiconductor factory. Coworkers were having problems breathing, eyes were red, I was the only one out of 300 employees to ask what that stuff was. They resisted telling me for 3 days until I threatened to call OSHA again. Called me a troublemaker, too.
Turns out this stuff is pretty toxic. I calculated that it was safe to have only 11 ounces of this stuff evaporated into the air in the building (it was 180 feet x 360 feet x 60 feet), and they had guys slathering a floor coating in the basement that was 50% this stuff (a solvent) and they had multiple 5-gallon buckets of this stuff applied to the floor.
--- So I told my supervisor about this (he couldn't have cared less) and his boss (who couldn't care less) and his boss (who couldn't care less) and his boss (who couldn't care less) and then I called OSHA.
Yeah, I like semiconductors, but the factories that make them use lots of awful chemicals, and safety is so far down the list of concerns, it's terrible . . .
One lady told me she had lung problems, had to get a biopsy done, and she was afraid to ask for a list of the chemicals she worked with. The company is supposed to post all that stuff, but they didn't. So on my breaks, I got the information for her. The next week, they got her an office job, away from the chemicals.

Yeah, we need more support from the EPA and OSHA. Not less.

My mother died of Parkinson's disease on May 2, 2011. Watching a vibrant woman wither away to nothing was horrible !!! Anything that can be done to figure out what contributes to this evil disease is necessary.

Sounds like A Class Action lawsuit to me!!!!!

I have used many harsh chemicals and compounds in the construction, electrical and automotive industries TCE, PCB's, Mercury, lead and others.I used to use my bare hands with no dust mask to mix Asbestos with cement over a 5 gallon bucket to make chimney cement, I think at the time I made $3.00 /Hr. The real irony is this whole time marijuana was and is still illegal #$%$ ????

Yikes! When I was 15 working under a state work permit I spent a summer with a five gallon bucket of this crap cleaning thread cutting oil off pipe fittings. Only after having become violently sick to my stomach was I offered gloves. Even then, my skin peeled for weeks and I could taste this crap in my breath. I suffer "fasciculations" but have been told they are related to spinal cord injuries and multiple spinal fusions...Oh well. I was more worried about asbestos since the same employer used to have me cutting sheets of it with a circular saw...maybe I AM a medical miracle (so told for not being paralyzed from my broken neck) like they said?

Carbontet was a common open basin cleaning solvent in aircraft instrument repair shops.

EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) help recoat the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. Milk thistle tabs clear the liver of excess toxins (even Dr. Oz touts). Google "myelin support oils" for more info. Many links with great info. They really help. Even for the very young whose nervous systems seem "raw", when always overstimulated and twitchy.

My mother had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Only she and 1 brother had Parkinson's. My mother was a beauty operator (lots of exposure to chemicals there) and my uncle worked for the Texas Highway Department as an engineer, so he was out in the field a lot. He always said he and my mother got sick because of chemical exposure. They both died in 2006, just months apart.

Many, many assembly line workers, including myself while working for Delco Electronics in Kokomo Indiana during the 70's were exposed to trichloroethylene while manufacturing transistors and printed circuit boards.

I hate to think of everything I've been exposed to in the past 65 years but it is hard to live a life with out interacting with chemicals. I do try to be more careful these days although it maybe too late.

I've been working around this stuff for 70+ years. Having read this story, I'm afraid of how these chemicals may affect my health in the coming decades!

Just looked up TCE. Yikes. It's been pumped into the environment for some time now. This makes me sad.

The stuff works great but you really know deep down that it is not good for you (or the environment) to be exposed to. Not at all surprised at the link between TCE and Parkinson's.

where screwed again!

TCE, PERC, and carbon tet are all regulated in the environment. When standards are exceeded, remedial measures are necessary. These chemicals are toxic, and environmental exposure is not acceptable. But then we're told by corporate apologists that regulations are the problem, not the contamination itself.

I work for a defense contractor and we used to use TCE or Trico for many years to clean printed wiring boards. We quit using it about 20 yrs. ago I have used many chemicals over my 30 year career and will have to compile a list for my wife before I die. I know a coworker with Parkinsons. Will have to tell his wife about this article.

This stuff also causes death if you drink it

You really think your Boss gives a Hoot .... get back to work peons.

In the 80's medical researchers were also finding correlations with DDT exposure. What I'm really hoping for is a cure, as I lost my pop to Parkinson's and don't want to see any more people go through that.

All the more reason to eliminate the EPA! How DARE peoples health take precedent over corporate profits!

/end sarcasm/