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#1
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the
last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan |
#3
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
I doubt it, but I haven't looked hard either. I haven't seen any particular
association between darkroom work and Alzheimer's in the scientific literature I get, and certainly elderly darkroom workers without Alzheimer's are common. The only chemical agent that has been associated with Alzheimer's disease that is commonly encountered in the darkroom is aluminum, which is found in hardening fixing baths. It's connection with Alzheimer's is controversial, and there are several more common sources in the environment - dust, cooking ware, food wrapping, cans, etc. In the body, aluminum is usually quickly converted to the oxide and excreted. Boranes and borohydrides are used in some color reversal developers. I don't know of any documented connection to Alzheimer's, but this sort of compound might cause (unspecified) trouble if it got across the blood-brain barrier. These compounds are quite exotic, however, and they are used in very low concentrations. "greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan |
#4
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
"greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan Alzheimer's is tragic. I doubt very much that there is any connection with photographic chemicals. I think you will have to do some extensive research on the statistics of the occurance of Alzheimer's among photographers vs: the general population. You will also have to find out exactly how the photographers worked. Not all work directly with chemistry. For instance, many professional color labs use machine processing where the exposure to any chemical is very slight. AFAIK, there are no definite pointers to a cause for Alzheimer's. Many past speculations have simply not held up under close examination. I have some interest in this desease having watched a good friend's mother waste away and eventually die of it. Its pretty difficult to explain about it to someone who has not had experience with an Alzheimer's victim. In some ways its even more horrifying than cancer. -- --- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA |
#5
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
In article k.net,
"Richard Knoppow" wrote: Alzheimer's is tragic. I doubt very much that there is any connection with photographic chemicals. I think you will have to do some extensive research on the statistics of the occurance of Alzheimer's among photographers vs: the general population. You will also have to find out exactly how the photographers worked. Not all work directly with chemistry. For instance, many professional color labs use machine processing where the exposure to any chemical is very slight. AFAIK, there are no definite pointers to a cause for Alzheimer's. Many past speculations have simply not held up under close examination. I have some interest in this desease having watched a good friend's mother waste away and eventually die of it. Its pretty difficult to explain about it to someone who has not had experience with an Alzheimer's victim. In some ways its even more horrifying than cancer. Yes I can say that it is tragic, my grandmother got it late into life she died at 95, basically the person is gone towards the end but the body remains for many years. Lingering and sometimes wasting away. I know a very vibrant artist lady of 65 that within 6 months nolonger was the same person. Sometimes it can work that quickly I believe. Seeing her,.... that made a big impression. I would never wish it upon anyone. Alzheimer's I think though is more difficult on the family, perhaps and cancer on the patient. My father battled cancer and diabetes for many years it is very painful to watch and I am sure to experience, even though they provide drugs to ease the cancer. These are lessons one must take to heart. as always Gb. -- LF website http://members.bellatlantic.net/~gblank |
#6
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
"greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan Don't know. Have had hands in contact with b&w process chemicals for 50 years now without that problem. However how does one know for sure? How many out of a sample space of how many has this happened to? This sort of unsubstantiated urban legend certainly does not help the plight of those of us attempting to preserve traditional photographic methods, does it? Truly, dr bob. |
#7
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
In article ,
"dr bob" wrote: This sort of unsubstantiated urban legend certainly does not help the plight of those of us attempting to preserve traditional photographic methods, does it? Truly, dr bob. Ya gotta die from something,.....why worry , so take some precautions, like gloves and a fan, worrying is more detrimental than anything. -- LF website http://members.bellatlantic.net/~gblank |
#8
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
Yup, I second that Bob... I have been splashing in photo chemicals for over
50 years and it hasn't, uhh, hasn't, uhh, hasn't . . . something or other... OK, couldn't resist that... Anyway, I have Alzheimer patients in my practice and not a one of them has ever been in a darkroom... So, as anecdotal evidence I strongly doubt a causal relationship between between photo chemicals and Alzheimers Disease... denny "dr bob" wrote in message ... "greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan Don't know. Have had hands in contact with b&w process chemicals for 50 years now without that problem. However how does one know for sure? How many out of a sample space of how many has this happened to? This sort of unsubstantiated urban legend certainly does not help the plight of those of us attempting to preserve traditional photographic methods, does it? Truly, dr bob. |
#9
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
Since you are a health professional, I assume you are aware that there is
also a genetic link to Alzheimer's that shows up typical in the 50's? A recent PBS program stated that it has a 50% probability of being inherited in children of those carrying the gene. So, did any prior instances show up in the patient's family? On a different track, I spent about 37 years doing engineering problem solving. One clear learning was that a problem can have more than one cause, and never to assume that just one variable causes the problem. It can be a combinations of two or more causes or can be several independent causes. It would be possibly distracting to assume that Alzheimer's has a single cause. Regards, PSsquare "greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan |
#10
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Photo chemicals and Alzheimer's Dementia
My wife's mother died in her early 60s after about a 10-yr bout with
Alzheimers. She spent the last couple years under full-time medical supervision and care in medical care facility, and eventually died from pneumonia. At no time in her life was she ever exposed to photo chemicals. KB "greyworld" wrote in message om... Having been an amateur photographer and darkroom enthusiast for the last 30 years, I am also a mental health professional and I came across a 56y/o gentleman with a severe case of Alzheimer's Dementia--very tragic for one only 56y/o. In doing the history with his wife, she wondered if all those years in the darkroom, 30 some years, with B & W and color chemicals might have contributed to his illness. I've never heard of any link but I thought I would put this out to see if anyone has ever heard of any connection. Just interested. Dan |
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