A widely used farm chemical may cause damage that does not appear until decades later. New research links long-term residential exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos with a sharply higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects movement and balance.
The analysis compared people with Parkinson’s disease to those without it and mapped their residential histories over many years. Those who spent long periods near areas where chlorpyrifos was applied were more than twice as likely to develop the disease, even though household uses ended years ago and agricultural limits have since tightened.
Laboratory tests helped explain why the risk may persist. The chemical interfered with the brain’s ability to clear damaged proteins, leading to inflammation and loss of dopamine-producing neurons, the same cells affected in Parkinson’s. The findings add to evidence that environmental exposures can play a major role in long-term brain health.
SOURCE: