Common pesticide linked to 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson’s disease

An UCLA study found that long-term exposure to a common pesticide was linked to more than 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Scientists also uncovered how the chemical damages brain cells and identified a promising way to protect them. Common pesticide linked to 2.5 times the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at UCLA Health found that people with long-term residential exposure to chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide, had more than 2.5 times the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared with those who were not exposed. Laboratory experiments also revealed how the chemical can interfere with the brain’s ability to remove damaged proteins, leading to the loss of nerve cells essential for controlling movement. The study, published in Molecular Neurodegeneration, goes beyond identifying a connection between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s.

By examining what happens inside affected brain cells, the researchers uncovered a biological mechanism that could eventually provide new ways to protect the brain from damage. A Common Pesticide With a Troubling Link to Parkinson’s Parkinson’s disease affects nearly one million Americans. The progressive neurological condition gradually damages brain cells involved in movement, often causing tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movement, and difficulties with coordination.