Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Researchers asked whether living within proximity to a golf course affect the risk of Parkinson disease (PD). A case-control study found the greatest risk of PD within one to three miles of a golf course, and that this risk generally decreased with distance. Effect sizes were largest in water service areas with a golf course in vulnerable groundwater regions. These findings suggest that pesticides applied to golf courses may play a role in the incidence PD for nearby residents.
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Pesticide risk assessment has traditionally been studied in agricultural systems, though few studies have attempted to quantify pesticide risk on golf courses. About 150 agricultural pesticides that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers "hazardous" were used in the US in 2017, according to a review of US Geological Survey data. Source: Pesticide Use in US
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From the NIH: Pesticide exposure and a possible connection to Alzheimer's disease:
Pesticides are known neurotoxins. Evidence suggests that lifelong cumulative exposure to pesticides may generate lasting toxic effects on the central nervous system and contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A number of reports indicate a potential association between long-term/low-dose pesticide exposure and AD, but the results are inconsistent.Link: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
