Digital BW, The Print

> There is absolutely no scientific evidence of a link between the
chemicals Weston used and Parkinson's disease. Plenty of people used
pyro and amidol back then and many still do today, none of whom have
died of Parkinson's disease as far as I know. < 

Certainly some have died of Parkinson's. Weston, just mentioned (!),
and Margaret Bourke-White (Life Magazine) are certainties.  

There are MANY flavors of Parkinsons (not one disease but a
constellation of symptoms), some of which are commonly thought to be
genetic, some caused directly by chemicals. 

Some of those chemicals might MOST logically be those of
photographers: Who else carelessly spends significant time with hands
in contact with easily absorbed toxic chemicals? 

Yes, of course rubber gloves and good ventilation may create safety
(except for poisoning the water table that our neighbors share), but
many of us have not been that careful. 

If you wear a lead gloves you can handle radium, nothing to worry about...

Somebody *invariably" cries "no scientific evidence" when someone
raises the Pyro/Parkinsons question or express the belief. Those
kneejerk denials are also themselves urban legends and are inherently
dangerous: It's better to ignorantly fear a known toxic chemical than
it is to trust it.  

Of course no "scientific link" has been established! Nobody has a
vested interest in the chemical and hardly anybody even touches it,
probably due to its dark legend. We won't know if there's a
"scientific" link because there will never be a study...just the
perhaps-sometimes-substantive anecdotes and the equally naieve
automatic denials (originating mostly on the Internet and in photo
classes).

The grownups among us may remember that the tobacco companies invested
literally billions in false advertising and political bribes to
convince us that there was "no scientific evidence" linking tobacco
and lung cancer. 

Lack of "scientific evidence" is not meaningful information.