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.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, often causing tremors, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination.
According to Parkinson Canada, more than 110,000 people in Canada are currently living with the disease; a number expected to rise in the coming years as the population ages.
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There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease and no treatments available that can slow its progression.
Although it is still not fully understood what causes the disease, research suggests it’s the result of a potential combination of genetic and environmental factors, said Dr. Karen Lee, the CEO of Parkinson’s Canada.
“It’s probably a perfect storm. Meaning, you have genes that prime you to potentially get Parkinson’s, and if you’re put in the right environment, potentially that is what sets off the onset of Parkinson’s disease,” she told Global News.
For years pesticides have been in the spotlight as a potential environmental trigger. While farming communities and agricultural workers have been studied extensively, much less is known about the potential risks posed by more urban or suburban sources of pesticide exposure — like golf courses, the study argues.
Golf courses are often treated with pesticides to maintain the aesthetic standards for putting greens and fairways, and these chemicals have been linked to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
To explore this possible link, researchers from the Mayo Clinic conducted a population-based study using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project between 1991 and 2015. Data were analyzed between June and August 2024.
They looked at medical records and environmental data for 419 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and more than 5,000 people living without the condition. The researchers then viewed residential histories and their distance to 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
People who lived within a one to three-mile radius of a golf course showed the highest risk of developing the disease. Specifically, those residing within one mile had 126 per cent increased odds compared to those living over six miles away.
This risk generally decreased as the distance from the golf course increased, the study said.
Proximity was not the only factor linked to elevated risk. The study also found that the type of drinking water mattered.
People who got their tap water from groundwater sources in areas with a golf course had almost double the odds of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those in similar areas without a golf course, the research found.
The risk was even higher for people living in regions where the groundwater was classified as vulnerable, meaning it was more susceptible to contamination due to soil type or shallow bedrock.
The researchers believe this is because pesticides from golf courses may enter groundwater and contaminate municipal water supplies.
Although water seemed to be a key factor, the study found that people living within one to two miles of a golf course still had a higher risk, even after considering water vulnerability. This suggests that pesticides drifting through the air might also play a role in the increased risk, the researchers argued.
Lee said the findings didn’t come as a surprise and viewed them as one more piece of a larger puzzle. She emphasized that the more researchers understand, the better they can tailor treatments — and eventually work toward prevention.
“We have already shown that there’s a higher risk of getting Parkinson’s due to these pesticides,” she said. “But it is really important to remember that there isn’t one thing that causes Parkinson’s right now. We haven’t said ‘this is it,’” she said.
Dr. Michael Okun, the national medical advisor at the Parkinson’s Foundation, agreed.
He said the study is intriguing but not surprising, as golf courses use various pesticides and herbicides to maintain their greens.
“Living close to a golf course and sharing water services nearly doubles the odds of developing PD (Parkinson’s disease). This is strongly suggestive that environmental exposure to chemicals used in golf course maintenance could be a contributing factor,” he said.
Meanwhile, other studies have linked golf courses to neurological disease.
Research published in The Journal of Neurological Sciences in 2024 found that outdoor recreational activities, such as golfing and gardening, may increase the likelihood of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially in men.
Pesticides are neurotoxic, Dorsey said, so it’s not surprising that exposure to some of them has been linked to other neurological disorders in humans.
“We think Parkinson’s disease is largely a man-made disease. The chemicals in our food, water, and air are fueling the rise of a fast-growing brain disease,” he said.
He and the researchers hope the study will raise awareness about the potential risks of pesticide use on golf courses and encourage public health policies to reduce groundwater contamination and airborne exposure.
In the meantime, Okun said that while the study highlights a potential link, there is still no cause-and-effect relationship.
“Therefore, it’s premature to make broad recommendations solely based on this finding. However, it does underscore the importance of evaluating and potentially regulating the use of certain chemicals in residential and recreational areas.”
