Common pesticide may more than double Parkinson’s disease risk

Read the full story from UCLA. See also: Hasan, K. Md. M., Barnhill, L. M., Paul, K. C., et al(2025). The pesticide chlorpyrifos increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 21(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-025-00915-z

A new UCLA Health study suggests that long-term exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos may dramatically raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers found that people living in areas with sustained exposure had more than 2.5 times the likelihood of developing the disorder. Lab experiments reinforced the finding: animals exposed to the chemical developed movement problems, lost dopamine-producing neurons, and showed the same toxic protein buildup seen in Parkinson’s patients.