Latest news with #DrBrittanyKrzyzanowski
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
How close you live to a golf course impacts your chances of getting Parkinson's, study shows
Those who live within one mile of a golf course double their risk of developing Parkinson's disease, new research has suggested. Chemicals used to maintain fairways and greens in perfect shape may be causing the disease by leaking into water sources or escaping into the atmosphere, according to US researchers. The scientists from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona examined health data from people living near 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. They found that people who lived within a mile of a golf course had a 126 per cent higher chance of getting Parkinson's disease than people who lived more than six miles away. The study also discovered that the likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease decreased by 13 per cent for every mile away from the greens, indicating a linear association between the two. Parkinson's disease is the world's second most common neurodegenerative disorder, behind Alzheimer's disease. It is a degenerative neurological condition, which means that over time the brain of an individual living with the disease becomes more damaged, according to the NHS. Around 145,000 people in the UK are affected by Parkinson's disease, according to charity Parkinson's UK. Writing in the journal Jama Network Open, Dr Brittany Krzyzanowski said: 'These findings suggest that pesticides applied to golf courses may play a role in the incidence of Parkinson's disease for nearby residents. 'Public health policies to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and airborne exposure from pesticides on golf courses may help reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease in nearby neighbourhoods.' The research also found that people who get their drinking water from water service areas with a golf course had nearly double the odds of Parkinson's compared to those getting drinking water from water service areas without a golf course. Pesticides such as paraquat and rotenone have been shown to induce Parkinson-like neurodegeneration, the study said. In the UK and the EU, the use of pesticides is strictly controlled, and paraquat is banned due to concerns about their wider health and environmental impacts, Dr Katherine Fletcher, Research Lead at Parkinson's UK, said. The risk for most people in the UK is therefore 'extremely low', she said. The US researchers suggested public health policies aimed at reducing the risk of groundwater contamination and airborne exposure from pesticides on golf courses may help reduce the risk of the disease in nearby neighbourhoods. According to the NHS, symptoms of Parkinson's usually develop after the age of 50. However, for one in 20 people affected by the disease, symptoms may appear when they're under the age of 40. Dr Fletcher added: "Parkinson's is complex. The causes of the condition are unclear and are likely to involve both genetic and environmental factors. Many studies have investigated whether pesticides increase the risk of developing Parkinson's in different populations around the world. 'The results have been varied, but overall suggest that exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of the condition. However, the evidence is not strong enough to show that pesticide exposure directly causes Parkinson's. 'This study supports the association between pesticides and Parkinson's. However, it's quite reductive and doesn't take into account how someone might have been exposed to pesticides at their workplace or whether they have a genetic link to the condition.'
Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Living near a golf course ‘doubles risk of Parkinson's'
Living within one mile of a golf course doubles the risk of developing Parkinson's, a new study suggests. US researchers believe pesticides used to keep greens and fairways in immaculate condition could be triggering the condition by leaching into water supplies, or becoming airborne. In new research, a team from the Barrow Neurological Institute, Arizona, analysed health data from people living near 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. They discovered that living within one mile of a golf course was associated with a 126 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson's compared with individuals living more than six miles away. The study also found a linear relationship between the chance of developing Parkinson's and distance from the greens, with each mile away reducing the chances of diagnosis by 13 per cent. Writing in the journal Jama Network Open, Dr Brittany Krzyzanowski said: 'These findings suggest that pesticides applied to golf courses may play a role in the incidence of Parkinson's disease for nearby residents. 'Public health policies to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and airborne exposure from pesticides on golf courses may help reduce risk of Parkinson's disease in nearby neighbourhoods.' The overall chance of developing Parkinson's is small, with around 0.005 per cent of people in their 30s diagnosed, rising to about 1.7 per cent of people in their 80s. Previous studies have suggested that exposure to pesticides such as organophosphates raise the risk of the condition, and in 2011 the US National Institutes of Health warned that rotenone and paraquat in particular multiply the risk of Parkinson's by 2.5. That study found the pesticides can inhibit the function of the mitochondria, the structure responsible for making energy in the cell, as well as causing oxidative stress that can harm cellular structures. Seven pesticides in groundwater There is also evidence that pesticides from golf courses can pollute groundwater. A study of water courses surrounding four different golf courses in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, discovered they were contaminated with seven different pesticides including those linked to Parkinson's. But although there has been anecdotal evidence that living near golf courses may increase the chance of Parkinson's and cancer, there have been no major studies up to now. The latest research looked at nearly 4,500 people who lived in the vicinity of golf courses, including 418 Parkinson's patients. It found a clear link for those living within three miles of a golf course, with the risk decreasing as people moved further away. The effects were strongest in residential areas that shared their groundwater with a golf course. Britain has traditionally used fewer pesticides on golf courses than the US, and recently banned the most harmful chemicals. Experts at the charity Parkinson's UK also pointed out the disease starts in the brain 10 to 15 years before diagnosis, so the seeds may have been planted long before people moved near a golf course. Dr Katherine Fletcher, the research lead at Parkinson's UK, said: 'Parkinson's is complex. The causes of the condition are unclear and are likely to involve both genetic and environmental factors. 'Many studies have investigated whether pesticides increase the risk of developing Parkinson's in different populations around the world. The results have been varied, but overall suggest that exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of the condition. However, the evidence is not strong enough to show that pesticide exposure directly causes Parkinson's. In Europe and the UK, the use of pesticides is strictly controlled, and some – like paraquat – are banned, due to concerns about their wider health and environmental impacts. 'So, the risk of exposure to these for most people is extremely low.'
