Delia M. Williamson

Efforts to discover if there is a connection between clusters of MS patients and the environment are being led by Delia M. Williamson of the Division of Health Studies Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSD) based in Atlanta, GA.The agency is conducting studies of MS and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, in areas of hazardous waste dumps in five states.The agency will soon embark on a further study comparing 500 MS patients and 1,000 people without MS in an effort to identify risk factors for the disease.

Williamson emphasized little is known about what causes MS. In a recent telephone interview, she said, "We don't even know if there are clusters."
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In addition to the possibility that hazardous waste is a factor, assuming that residents have been exposed, Williamson said there are other factors thought to have an effect other than the environment and genetics, including national origin, lack of exposure to sunlight, exposure to heavy metals and viruses.