Living Near Golf Courses May Double Parkinson’s Risk, Study Finds

A golf course lawn may be beautiful, but the chemicals used to keep it that way may present serious risks for those living nearby.

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Residents living within one mile of golf courses may face more than double the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared with those living farther away, according to new research.

Potentially Due to Groundwater Contamination

The case-control study, recently published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from more than 400 residents living with Parkinson’s disease and more than 5,000 matched controls across southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, from 1991 to 2015.

Researchers looked at how close the individuals lived to golf courses and whether their drinking water came from groundwater sources, especially in regions vulnerable to groundwater contamination from pesticide or herbicide use.

The findings showed that those living within one mile of a golf course had more than twice the odds of developing Parkinson’s disease compared with those living more than six miles away.

The study also found that residents whose tap water was supplied from groundwater sources, particularly in regions prone to groundwater pollution, faced nearly twice the risk of developing Parkinson’s if their water source was near a golf course.

While the study did not measure the type of pesticides used at the golf courses, the authors wrote that studies have linked pesticides used to treat golf courses with the development of Parkinson’s. Examples of pesticides include chlorpyrifos, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and Mancozeb, among others.

Pesticides have been linked to nerve cell damage associated with Parkinson’s, yet are still commonly applied to golf courses to keep turf healthy and aesthetically pleasing.

These can enter the environment through runoff or groundwater contamination, which could leach into underground water supplies, according to researchers.

Parkinson’s is a progressive disease and currently has no cure. The risk of developing the degenerative condition increases with age, and most patients are diagnosed when older than 50.

Dr. M. Maral Mouradian, distinguished professor of neurology and director of Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Institute for Neurological Therapeutics, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times that the study adds to growing evidence that environmental exposures may play a role in the disease’s development.

An unrelated 2020 study identified a cluster of Parkinson’s cases in a golf community. According to the study researchers, golf courses may use more pesticides per acre than are used in agriculture.

This can be because golf courses strive for a visually appealing, uniform appearance that can be achieved using large amounts of pesticides to control weeds, insects, and diseases that could compromise this look. 

“We were contacted by a golf community of approximately 2200 people because of a concern that [Parkinson’s disease] was unusually prevalent in their community,” the researchers of the 2020 study wrote.

They discovered that among the multiple pesticides used on the golf course, there were three previously linked with Parkinson’s risk: Mancozeb, 2,4-D, and manganese oxide.

Significant Limitations of the Study: Expert

Independent experts not involved in the study urged caution when interpreting the results.

Dr. Michael Genovese, physician and chief medical adviser at Ascendant New York, told The Epoch Times that researchers didn’t directly measure pesticide exposure. For instance, they did not test people’s blood or check the water for chemicals.

“That means we cannot say pesticides caused the increase in Parkinson’s,” he said. “We can say that the results are very suspicious and match what other research has shown about pesticides being harmful to the brain.”

David Dexter, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, explained other significant limitations of the JAMA study in a statement.

“Firstly, Parkinson’s starts in the brain 10-15 years before diagnosis, and the study didn’t only use subjects who permanently lived in the area,” he said. “This would not only affect participants’ exposure, but also suggests their Parkinson’s could have started before they moved around a golf course.”

Additionally, the population was not matched for location, with 80 percent of the Parkinson’s subjects living in urban areas, compared with only 30 percent of those in the control groups.

“Hence other factors like air pollution from motor vehicles, etc. could also account for some of the increases in Parkinson’s incidence,” Dexter stated.

Genovese said this study should still be considered a “wake-up call,” even if it does not offer absolute proof.

“The pattern it shows is tough to ignore,” he said.