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

In article ,
(greyworld) wrote:

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

No we are all crazy to start with. Did he drink the chemistry?
Or not have adequate ventilation? Maybe stick hands hands in the chemistry
without washing them before meals,......or was he scratching you know
what you know where, sometimes I have heard one gets a fairly good dose
that way ya know.
--
LF website http://members.bellatlantic.net/~gblank

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

"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

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

"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.

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

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.

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

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