Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and disabling neurodegenerative brain disorder. Symptoms typically develop and progress over years and impact the motor system. Common symptoms include:
1. Tremors in the arms and legs
2. Impaired coordination and balance
3. Slow or impaired movement
4. Muscle stiffness
Scientists believe that genetics cause about 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s disease cases; however, during the past 20 years, a growing number of scientific studies have linked pesticide exposure to increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
- In 2009, a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that exposure to paraquat within 1,600 feet of a home resulted in an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease by 75 percent.
- In 2011, the results of a more comprehensive study were published in Environmental Health Perspectives, in association with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The study found that Parkinson’s was positively associated with paraquat and another pesticide found to block mitochondrial complex and cause oxidative stress, which damages cells and is associated with Parkinson’s.
- A 2014 study published in the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology found a greater risk of Parkinson’s disease in individuals who had exposure to paraquat. According to the study, pesticide applicators who had applied paraquat suffered twice the risk of Parkinson’s disease than the general population.
In 2016, the EPA announced it would re-evaluate paraquat and its potential link to Parkinson’s disease.