Medicinal Chemistry has played a critical role in evolving new products, resources and
processes which inexorably correspond to our high standards of living. Unfortunately, this has also
caused deterioration of human health and threats to the global environment, even deaths when highly
exposed to certain chemicals, whether due to improper use, mishandling or disposal. There are
chemicals, which apart from being carcinogens, endocrine disruptors or neurotoxins, are also responsible
for climate change and ozone depletion. Certain chemicals are known to cause neurotoxicity
and are having tendencies to damage the central and peripheral nervous system or brain by damaging
neurons or cells which are responsible for transmitting and processing of signals. This has
raised serious concerns for the use and handling of such chemicals and has given growth to a relatively
new emerging field known as Green Chemistry that strives to achieve sustainability at the
molecular level and has an ability to harness chemicals to meet environmental and economic goals.
It has been reported in the literature that apart from family history in the aetiology of Amyotrophic
lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also termed as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”, a neurological disorder, environmental
factors, heavy metals, particularly selenium, lead, mercury, cadmium, formaldehyde, pesticides
and certain herbicides are known to cause ALS. ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease
affects the motor cortex, brain stem and spinal cord, causing muscular weakness, spasticity, and
hyperreflexia. In this article we are aiming to discuss and summarize the various corroborations and
findings supporting the undesirable role of chemical substance/herbicides/pesticides in ALS aetiology
and its mitigation by adopting green chemistry.
The role of the Mt. Merapi eruption in the 2011 Arctic ozone depletion
