Living Near Golf Courses Linked to Higher Parkinson’s Risk, Study Finds
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A study published in JAMA Network Open has found that individuals living within one mile of a golf course face more than double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to those living six miles or farther away. Researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute and the Mayo Clinic analyzed data from over 5,500 patients and controls, adjusting for key demographic factors and neighborhood characteristics. The strongest associations emerged in areas with groundwater vulnerability, suggesting that pesticide contamination in municipal water supplies may be a critical exposure route. With pesticides like paraquat and rotenone, long used on golf courses and known to induce Parkinson-like neurodegeneration, the findings underscore growing concerns about environmental contributors to neurodegenerative disease.
Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease (Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD; Aidan F. Mullan, MA; E. Ray Dorsey, MD, JAMA, 5/8).
