[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and exposure to metals and other occupational/environmental hazardous materials: state of the art].

In recent years, scientific literature has been giving more and more importance to the study of the occupational/environmental exposure to risk agents related to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons in the primary motor cortex. Aim of this work is to verify the state of art about the eventual role of occupational/environmental exposure to risk agents. Selected articles, on the basis of keywords, year of publication and topics, are related to occupational and environmental exposure to xenobiotics, and, in particular, to the exposure to heavy metals that could lead to neuronal damage mechanisms involved in ALS onset. The review shows that although the scientific production has increased the interest in the evaluation of extra-genetic causes of ALS onset, there are still few studies concerning the careful study of the work activities of the individual patient, and the inferences that can be drawn to date about the possible connection between occupational exposure to risk factors and the onset of ALS are still lacking.