Fresh air, exercise, socialization—you don't need us to tell you the benefits of getting out on the golf course. But according to a shocking new study, living near a golf course could increase your risk of Parkinson's disease. Why? The pesticides applied to most golf courses can leach into and contaminate drinking water. However, the risk is dependent on how far you live from a golf course.
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Here's why golf courses pose a health risk.
Weedkillers, insecticides, and other pesticides have long been used on golf courses to keep pests out and maintain the grass' carpet-like appearance.
However, compared to golf courses in the U.K., Denmark, and Norway, those in the U.S. have a "significantly" higher pesticide risk, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment. In the European countries, "20 or fewer active [pesticide] ingredients were available to golf course superintendents," whereas in the U.S. some states have up to 250 pesticide active ingredients registered for use on golf courses.
The researchers found that in the Southern U.S. (East Texas and Florida) greens contribute most to pesticide risk, and in all other regions (Northwest, Midwest, and Northeast), fairways posed the highest risk.
A 2022 article published in The Guardian detailed how many of these pesticides are known to have harmful health effects. For example, the herbicide known as 2,4-D has been scientifically linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was declared a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (AIRC).
Moreover, the popular weed killer Roundup is often used on both golf courses and homes. Because of its active ingredient, glyphosate, another carcinogen, Roundup's parent company has been hit with more than 177,000 lawsuits alleging the pesticide causes cancer, reported CNN in March.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that even weed killers that may be considered less harmful frequently contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium or potash, which can contaminate groundwater.
"When lawn chemicals are applied improperly, they can run off into streams, harming fish and other animals and contaminating our drinking water. Over-application of any lawn chemical can result in runoff that carries toxic levels of chemicals or excessive nutrients into lakes, streams and groundwater," the EPA explains.
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Scientists believe pesticides contribute to Parkinson's risk.
In recent decades, scientists have been studying the link between pesticides and Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative disease that causes tremors, balance problems, and slow movement, among other symptoms.
In 2011, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found that people who used the pesticides rotenone and paraquat had a 2.5 times greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
"Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the structure responsible for making energy in the cell," said study co-author Freya Kamel, PhD, a researcher in the intramural program at NIEHS. "Paraquat increases production of certain oxygen derivatives that may harm cellular structures."
In 2023, researchers from UCLA Health and Harvard identified 10 pesticides that "significantly damaged neurons implicated in the development of Parkinson’s disease," according to a press release. Most of the pesticides they singled out are still in use in the U.S.: four insecticides (dicofol, endosulfan, naled, propargite), three herbicides (diquat, endothall, trifluralin), and three fungicides (copper sulfate [basic and pentahydrate] and folpet).
But perhaps the most dangerous pesticide for Parkinson's risk is paraquat dichloride, "currently among the most widely used commercial herbicides in the USA," states a 2024 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, which concluded that exposure to this pesticide increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.
In fact, paraquat is banned in the E.U., U.K., Canada, China, and other countries, notes Fight Parkinson's.
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A new study says living near pesticide-treated golf courses can increase your risk of Parkinson's.
The latest study, published this month in the journal JAMA Network Open, posed the question: "Does living within proximity to a golf course affect the risk of Parkinson disease (PD)?"
"Pesticides such as paraquat and rotenone have been shown to induce Parkinson-like neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra, primarily through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and dopaminergic neuron apoptosis," states the study. "However, despite the biological plausibility, very few studies have explored the role of pesticide exposure from golf courses on risk of PD."
To arrive at their findings, the researchers used health data from participants in the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) from 1991 to 2015. The REP study area included 27 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where there were a total of 139 golf courses.
As MedPage Todayoutlines, "The study sample included 419 incident Parkinson's cases (median age was 73, and 61.3% were male) and 5,113 controls (median age was 72, and 59.5% were male)."
The researchers found the historical addresses of those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and compared them to their proximity to golf courses and how this related to local water service areas.
They found that those living within one mile of a golf course had a 126 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson's compared with individuals living more than six miles away from a golf course. Generally, living within one to three miles of a golf course posed the greatest risk.
They also found that individuals living within water service areas with a golf course had nearly double the odds of being diagnosed with Parkinson's compared with those in water service areas without golf courses and 49 percent greater odds compared to those with private wells.
Finally, they reported that individuals living in water service areas with a golf course in vulnerable groundwater regions had 82 percent greater odds of developing Parkinson's compared to those in nonvulnerable groundwater regions.
"Our study found that both distance from a golf course and karst topography were independently associated with risk of Parkinson's disease," study author Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD, a research assistant professor at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, told MedPage Today.
"Karst topography describes a region with limestone bedrock that slowly dissolves over time, creating underground voids that allow water from the surface to move more rapidly through it," she explained. "This means that pesticides applied to grass or crops can more readily move into the groundwater supply after a rain."
She says that one way to limit your exposure if you live near a golf course is to use a carbon water filter "to reduce the risk of contamination from drinking water." She also suggests asking your local golf course when they spray and staying indoors during those times.
The team will next replicate their research with a nationwide study that includes "a dataset of more than 22 million Medicare beneficiaries and approximately 16,000 golf courses," shared Krzyzanowski.
