Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024;14(3):451-465.
doi: 10.3233/JPD-230357.

Parkinson's Disease Is Predominantly an Environmental Disease

E Ray Dorsey  1 , Bastiaan R Bloem  2
Affiliations

Parkinson's Disease Is Predominantly an Environmental Disease

E Ray Dorsey et al. J Parkinsons Dis. 2024.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is the world's fastest growing brain disorder, and exposure to environmental toxicants is the principal reason. In this paper, we consider alternative, but unsatisfactory, explanations for its rise, including improved diagnostic skills, aging populations, and genetic causes. We then detail three environmental toxicants that are likely among the main causes of Parkinson's disease- certain pesticides, the solvent trichloroethylene, and air pollution. All three environmental toxicants are ubiquitous, many affect mitochondrial functioning, and all can access humans via various routes, including inhalation and ingestion. We reach the hopeful conclusion that most of Parkinson's disease is thus preventable and that we can help to create a world where Parkinson's disease is increasingly rare.

Keywords: Parkinson disease; genetics; indoor air pollution; mitochondria; pesticides; primary prevention; solvents; tetrachloroethylene; trichloroethylene; water pollution.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Dorsey has received honoraria for speaking at American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Society, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Northwestern University, Physicians Education Resource, LLC, PRIME Education, LLC, Stanford University, Texas Neurological Society, and Weill Cornell; received compensation for consulting services from Abbott, Abbvie, Acadia, Acorda, Bial-Biotech Investments, Inc., Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, California Pacific Medical Center, Caraway Therapeutics, Curasen Therapeutics, Denali Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Genentech/Roche, Grand Rounds, Huntington Study Group, Informa Pharma Consulting, Karger Publications, LifeSciences Consultants, MCM Education, Mediflix, Medopad, MedRhythms, Merck, Michael J. Fox Foundation, NACCME, Neurocrine, NeuroDerm, NIH, Novartis, Origent Data Sciences, Otsuka, Physician’s Education Resource, Praxis, PRIME Education, Roach, Brown, McCarthy & Gruber, Sanofi, Seminal Healthcare, Spark, Springer Healthcare, Sunovion Pharma, Theravance, Voyager and WebMD; research support from Biogen, Biosensics, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, CuraSen, Greater Rochester Health Foundation, Huntington Study Group, Michael J. Fox Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Pfizer, PhotoPharmics, Safra Foundation, and Wave Life Sciences; editorial services for Karger Publications; stock in Included Health, stock in Mediflix and ownership interests in SemCap.

Prof. Bloem currently serves as co-Editor in Chief for the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease but was not involved in any way in the peer review process of this manuscript. He serves on the editorial board of Practical Neurology and Digital Biomarkers, has received honoraria from serving on the scientific advisory board for Abbvie, Biogen and UCB, has received fees for speaking at conferences from AbbVie, Zambon, Roche, GE Healthcare and Bial, and has received research support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, the Michael J Fox Foundation, UCB, Not Impossible, the Hersenstichting Nederland, the Parkinson’s Foundation, Verily Life Sciences, Horizon 2020 and the Parkinson Vereniging (all paid to the institute).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A) Incidence of Parkinson’s disease by age and sex in the United Kingdom, 2017 [16]. B) Incidence of lung cancer by age and sex in the United Kingdom, 2016–2018 [17].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A) Incidence of Parkinson’s disease in the U.S., 2012 [49]. B) Estimated annual use of paraquat in the U.S., 1992 [50]. Map of release of trichloroethylene (orange) and perchloroethylene (in blue) in the U.S, 1987. Map courtesy of Meghan Pawlik, University Rochester, based on data from the Toxic Release Inventory from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. D) Map of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in the U.S., 2006 [51].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Parkinson J (2002) An essay on the shaking palsy.1817. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 14, 223–236; discussion 222. - PubMed
    1. GBD 2015 Neurological Disorders Collaborator Group (2017) Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet Neurol 16, 877–897. - PMC - PubMed
    1. GBD 2016 Neurology Collaborators (2019) Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990-2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol 18, 459–480. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dorsey R, Sherer T, Okun MS, Bloem BR(2020) Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action, Public Affairs.
    1. GBD 2016 Parkinson’s Disease Collaborators (2018)Global, regional, and national burden of Parkinson’s disease,1990-2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. .Lancet Neurol 17, 939–953. - PMC - PubMed