Exposure to agricultural chemicals, including fertilizers and pesticides used in gardening and lawn care, may increase a man's chances of developing a rare fatal disease that destroys the nerves that control muscles. People with a history of exposure to these compounds may be at twice the risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which strikes about one or two in every 100,000 people in the U.S. ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famed New York Yankee's baseball player who died from the disease in 1941 at the age of 38.

American Journal of Epidemiology (1997;145:1076-1088)