Population-Based Ohio ALS Repository and ALS Risk Factors

The proposed research is particularly relevant to the National ALS Registry and public
environmental health issues because it addresses the potential environmental causes of
sporadic ALS. The research will develop an ALS surveillance program in Ohio that can be
compared with the national and State-Metro Surveillance Programs of the National ALS
Registry, and novel methodologies to determine the role of the cyanobacterial toxin, BMAA,
and other environmental toxicants as risk factors for ALS. This work will advance the mission
of the CDC ATSDR National ALS Registry by offering data on ALS cases in Ohio that address
public health concerns over the effects of chronic exposure to cyanobacterial blooms in Lake
Erie.