Living Near a Golf Course May Increase Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: Study

Residing within 1 mile of a golf course could increase the risks of Parkinson’s disease by 126%, new research finds.

Golf courses cover at least 2.3 million acres of land across the U.S., and homes lining the fairways are typically some of the most sought after real estate. However, a group of researchers are now warning that individuals living near golf courses may be exposed to toxic pesticides used for turf maintenance, which could be increasing their risk of experiencing severe neurological side effects in the future, such as Parkinson’s disease.

In fingidngs published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open on May 8, researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Barrow Neurological Institute found strong evidence linking residential proximity to golf courses with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. As a result, they are urging the development of public health policies to limit exposure to potentially harmful pesticides used on golf course grounds.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 500,000 Americans, with roughly 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year, gradually robbing individuals of motor control and causing tremors, imbalance, and worsening movement difficulties over time.

Parkinson’s Disease Pesticide Risks

While the exact causes of Parkinson’s disease are not always known, both genetic and environmental factors are believed to play important roles, and several studies have identified links between certain herbicides and Parkinson’s disease, such as paraquat and Agent Orange

In 2012, researchers from UCLA found a link between pesticide use and a risk of developing Parkinson’s, indicating that individuals who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and were exposed to Paraquat were three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.

Another study published in May 2013 found yet another link between pesticide exposure and an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, indicating that pesticide exposure may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s by 60 percent.

That study also found the risk increased with exposure to any type of pesticide, herbicide or solvent, but exposure to specific chemicals doubled the risk. Chemicals used in the test included Paraquat, Maneb and other pesticides.

The new case-controlled study looked at data on patients with Parkinson’s disease and matched controls from the Rochester Epidemiology Project from 1991 to 2015. They looked at distances from golf courses, water service areas affected by golf courses, and sought to determine the risks of Parkinson’s disease.

According to their findings, living within a mile of a golf course was linked to a 126% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease when compared with those living more than six miles away from one. In addition, those sharing a water service area with a golf course had twice the risk of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

The further away individuals lived from a golf course, the lower the risk, which is a strong indicator of a causal connection. The researchers noted the increased risks virtually disappeared for those living more than three miles away from golf courses.

“Taken together, our study complements, and expands on, the limited research on golf courses as a risk factor for PD and further suggests that both vulnerable drinking water and airborne pollutant exposure may contribute to risk for developing PD near golf courses,” the researchers concluded. “Public health policies to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and airborne exposure from pesticides on golf courses may help reduce risk of PD in nearby neighborhoods.”

Paraquat Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits

The researchers noted that Paraquat was one of the main pesticides linked to Parkinson’s disease, and indicated that it is often found in nearby drinking water.

Paraquat is a controversial weedkiller that was sold by Syngenta and Chevron, which has been at the center of massive litigation that has spread throughout the federal court system and several different state courts, raising allegations that individuals who mixed, sprayed and directly handled Paraquat were not adequately warned that they may develop Parkinson’s disease.

Syngenta and Chevron currently face more than 5,800 Paraquat lawsuits in the federal court system, with hundreds of additional cases also pending in California and Pennsylvania state courts, each involving claims that the manufacturers failed to adequately disclose the link between Paraquat and Parkinson’s disease.

However, last month the parties announced that a Paraquat lawsuit settlement agreement was likely to be announced in the coming weeks, resolving claims brought by farmers, landscapers and other agricultural workers who breathed in the herbicide or had it absorbed through the skin.