Manganese produce a parkinsonism-like illness characterized by movement abnormalities. This condition is not responsive to typical therapies used in the treatment of PD, suggesting an alternative pathway than the typical dopaminergic loss within the substantia nigra. Manganese may accumulate in the basal ganglia, leading to the abnormal movements. A mutation of the SLC30A10 gene, a manganese efflux transporter necessary for decreasing intracellular Mn, has been linked with the development of this Parkinsonism-like disease. The Lewy bodies typical to PD are not seen in Mn-induced parkinsonism. Animal experiments have given the opportunity to examine the consequences of manganese overexposure under controlled conditions.
Manganese of manganese in air have dropped. Many racing competitions specifically ban manganese compounds in racing fuel for carts and minibikes. MMT contains 24.4–25.2% manganese. Elevated atmospheric manganese concentrations are strongly correlated with automobile traffic density. The Level of manganese emitted by MMT fuels has been found to be safe for the general population and vulnerable groups such as infants and the elderly by the EPA and European and Canadian environmental agencies. The tobacco plant readily absorbs and accumulates heavy metals such as manganese from the surrounding soil into its leaves. These are subsequently inhaled during tobacco smoking. While manganese is