UCLA study links common pesticide chlorpyrifos to more than double the Parkinson's risk
A new UCLA Health study links long-term exposure to the widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos with more than double the risk of Parkinson's disease. Drawing on a California cohort and lab models including zebrafish, researchers found the chemical damaged dopamine-producing neurons and disrupted the cell's cleanup of toxic proteins. The authors say people with known past exposure may benefit from closer neurological monitoring.
According to UCLA Health, in research published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration, long-term exposure to the widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos is associated with more than double the risk of Parkinson's disease. The team drew on a long-running California cohort of 829 Parkinson's patients and 824 healthy controls, matching each person's home and work locations against records of where the pesticide was applied. In laboratory models including zebrafish, chlorpyrifos damaged the dopamine-producing neurons that Parkinson's slowly destroys, and disrupted autophagy, the cell's system for clearing out toxic protein buildup. A breakdown in protein cleanup is one of the core features of Parkinson's itself. The authors say people with known past exposure may benefit from closer neurological monitoring, and point to autophagy as a possible target for future protective treatments.