Study Links TCE Exposure to Higher Parkinson’s Risk
Researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute report in Neurology that neighborhood‑level ambient exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), a common industrial chlorinated solvent, is associated with a small but measurable increase in Parkinson’s disease risk in a Medicare‑age U.S. population. The nationwide observational analysis compared nearly 222,000 recently diagnosed Parkinson’s patients with more than 1.1 million controls and found higher risk among people living near facilities that emit TCE, with outdoor concentrations concentrated in the Rust Belt and select areas.
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📌 Key Facts
- Study population: ~222,000 older adults with new Parkinson’s diagnoses and >1.1 million controls analyzed nationwide
- Finding: researchers report a 'small but measurable increase' in Parkinson’s risk associated with ambient TCE exposure and higher risk near certain emitting facilities
- Limitations: observational design (no causal proof) and sample restricted to Medicare‑aged individuals (does not address early‑onset Parkinson’s)