Researchers found that those living within a mile of golf courses have 126 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than those who live more than six miles away, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Newsweek has reached out to the Parkinson’s Foundation as well as the Dr. Brittany Krzyzanowski, researcher for the study, for comment.
Why It Matters
Areas that shared drinking water supplies with water used near golf courses were the most greatly impacted, the study shows. Researchers believe this shows that the pesticides used on golf courses could contribute to the amount of Parkinson’s cases.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease estimated to affect about 10 million people globally, and about 1.1 million people in the United States, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. There is no cure, but treatments are available.
What To Know
Researchers used data of golf course locations throughout the U.S., along with data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), on 224 water service areas across 27 counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Data from 711 municipal wells provided by the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office was also used to determine the correlation between proximity and prevalence of cases.
During the study, 450 incident cases from 1991 to 2015 were identified in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
“The odds of PD were relatively constant within close proximity to a golf course and decreased linearly as distance increased; individuals living farther from a golf course had reduced odds of PD, decreasing relative to the distance from the nearest golf course,” the study explained.
Previous studies have already linked chemicals found in pesticides including paraquat and rotenone to neurodegeneration, according to the study.
The disease impacts the nervous system causing symptoms such as tremors, slow movement, and rigid muscles, among others, according to the Mayo Clinic. Parkinson’s disease is believed to be caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors, with men 1.25 times more likely to develop the disease.
First symptoms may include little expression on the face, difficulty walking, and soft or slurred speech.
The Parkinson’s Foundation says cases have been higher in areas such as the Rust Belt, which includes parts of the Midwest. Cases are also high in Southern California, Southeastern Texas, Central Pennsylvania and Florida, according to the foundation.
Utah saw the highest rate of Parkinson’s mortality at 12.4 percent while California saw the highest number of deaths with 4,289, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What People Are Saying
National medical adviser for the Parkinson’s Foundation Dr. Michael Okun posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: “Parkinson’s cases are exploding. We now face 11.8 million cases globally, and the numbers are climbing fast. Despite this reality, we still spend just 2 to 3 cents of every Parkinson’s dollar on prevention. That has to change.”
He added: “This new JAMA Network Open study offers a warning we can’t ignore: living within 1-3 miles of a golf course more than doubles your odds of developing Parkinson’s. Drinking water from municipal wells near golf courses in vulnerable groundwater areas may be a risk. This isn’t about golf—it’s about pesticides, environmental exposures, and preventable risks hiding in plain sight. If we don’t shift from reactive treatment to proactive prevention, the burden will become unmanageable. Who will this affect? Everyone including families, health systems, economies and society. The science is accumulating. The signals are clear. Now we need the will—and a Parkinson’s Plan.”
Researchers said in the study: “Individuals getting their tap water from groundwater water service areas with a golf course had nearly doubled odds of PD compared with individuals getting tap water from groundwater water service areas without golf courses and 49% greater odds of PD compared with individuals getting drinking water from private wells.”
What Happens Next?
Researchers say more information is needed to further study the link between pesticides, golf courses, and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease.
The Parkinson’s Foundation says an estimated 90,000 more people will be diagnosed this year, with the number of those suffering expected to be around 1.2 million by 2030.
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