“Living within a mile of a golf course is associated with a 126% increased risk for Parkinson’s disease (PD), possibly due to increased pesticide exposure, results of a population-based case-control study suggest. Results also showed drinking water from groundwater service areas with a golf course was associated with almost a twofold increased risk for the disease,” reports Medscape Medical News.
“The study results imply that both vulnerable drinking water and airborne pollutant exposure may contribute to the risk of developing PD near golf courses,” says study investigator Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD, assistant professor at Barrow Neurological Institute.
The study says that “Effect sizes were largest in water service areas with a golf course in vulnerable groundwater regions.”
One million Americans have Parkinson’s disease. It gradually damages the brain, affecting motor control and cognition. It is the world’s second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer’s disease.
In light of the study, one academic questioned the billions of dollars in tax breaks that golf courses receive, saying, “Not sure whether golf courses receiving billions in tax breaks is the insult or the injury to the finding that living near them can double your risk of developing parkinson disease.”
