Living near water-pollution sources associated with rare brain disorder

by American Academy of Neurology

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

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People who live near industrial facilities that pollute the water supply may be more likely to develop a rare movement disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to a study published in Neurology.

PSP is part of a group of neurodegenerative diseases known as atypical parkinsonism. PSP shares some symptoms with Parkinson's disease, but it usually progresses much faster and responds differently to treatment.

The study does not prove that proximity to facilities that emit water pollution causes progressive supranuclear palsy; it only shows an association.

"These results suggest that environmental water pollutants potentially play a role in the development of progressive supranuclear palsy," said study author Charlie Weige Zhao, M.D., of Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, but this is a step forward in understanding what raises a person's chance of getting PSP."

People who lived within about three miles (4.8 kilometers) of a facility that emitted pollutants including pesticides, other organic and inorganic pollutants and heavy metals were more likely to develop PSP than people who did not live as close to such facilities. The facilities included wastewater treatment plants, intensive aquaculture, chemical plants and thermal power stations.

Tracking pollution near participants' homes

For the study, researchers recruited more than 500,000 people from across the United Kingdom who were then followed for up to 25 years. During that time, 221 people developed PSP. The people with PSP were each matched by age and sex to 10 people who did not have PSP.

Using people's home addresses in 2007, researchers looked at how close they lived to industrial facilities reporting pollutants. There were six types of pollutants: heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, persistent organic pollutants, pesticides, other organic pollutants and other inorganic pollutants. People who had lived at their address for less than a year were not included in the study.

Higher risk near several pollutant sources

Approximately one-third of the people who developed PSP lived within about three miles (4.8 kilometers) of an industrial facility, compared to about one-quarter of people who did not develop PSP.

• A total of 16% of people with PSP lived near a pesticide-polluting facility compared to 11% of those without PSP.
• And 38% of people with PSP lived near a facility with inorganic pollutants compared to 28% of those who did not develop PSP.
• For organic pollutants, the numbers were 36% and 28%. And for heavy metals, the numbers were 38% and 31%.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education level, researchers found that people living near facilities emitting pesticides such as atrazine, simazine and diuron were 66% more likely to develop PSP than those who did not live near the facilities. People living near facilities emitting inorganic pollutants such as phosphorus, nitrogen and fluorides were 60% more likely to develop PSP.

People living near facilities emitting organic pollutants such as benzene, ethylbenzene and toluene were 52% more likely to develop PSP. And those living near facilities emitting heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium were 38% more likely to develop PSP.

Researchers found no association between chlorinated solvents and persistent organic pollutants and PSP.

"We also found some evidence that the risk of PSP decreased in proportion to how far away people lived from the facility as the distance increased to up to about six miles (9.7 kilometers)," Zhao said. "There is also evidence that the length of time people lived near the polluting facilities played a role in their risk of PSP."

Low overall risk and study limitations

Zhao emphasized that the overall risk of developing PSP was low, no matter where people lived.

A limitation of the study was that information on participants' job histories was not fully available, so the study did not analyze exposure to pollutants through work. Also, many industrial facilities emitted more than one type of pollutant, so it was not possible to isolate the effects of any single pollutant type.

Publication details

Neurology (2026).

Journal information: Neurology

Key medical concepts

Progressive Supranuclear PalsyPesticidesMetals, Heavy

Clinical categories

NeurologyCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by American Academy of Neurology Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Robert Egan

Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →

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