Parkinson’s risk higher for those living close to a golf course: study

A study published in JAMA Network Open found a potential link between proximity to golf courses and increased rates of the neurodegenerative condition.

Living near a golf course might come with an unexpected health concern: a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study.

The study, published May 8 in JAMA Network Open, found a potential link between living near golf courses, where pesticides are commonly used, and higher rates of the neurodegenerative condition.

It found people living within one mile (1.6 kilometre) of a golf course have a 126 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to living more than six miles (9.6 kilometres) away, said co-author Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and the director of the Center for the Brain and the Environment at Atria Health and Research Institute in New York.

“This isn’t the first study that links Parkinson’s disease with pesticides. This just adds additional evidence that this isn’t just happening among farmers. This is happening to people living in suburban areas that have an increased risk of getting Parkinson’s disease simply because of where they live,” he said.

“But they’re not the ones to bring the pesticides, it’s like secondhand smoke. They’re just likely breathing it in or consuming it in the water that they’re drinking.”

There’s been so much extensive research connecting pesticides to Parkinson’s disease that Dorsey said that in his view, it’s no longer just a possible link — it’s one of the causes.

It’s important to note that this study was based in the United States, where some pesticides used on golf courses, like paraquat (a herbicide) and maneb (a fungicide), have been linked to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.

However, these specific pesticides have been banned in Canada. While the study mentions paraquat and maneb, it doesn’t list all the pesticides used. Other pesticides are still allowed in Canada.