Higher Parkinson Disease Risk in Veterans Exposed to Contaminated Water

Exposure to the liquid chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) may increase the risk of Parkinson disease by as much as 70%, according to study results published in JAMA Neurology.

The results stem from a study of 160,000 US military veterans. About half of the service members were stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for at least 3 months between 1975 and 1985. TCE was used at the base to degrease military equipment, and subsequently contaminated the water supply.

“TCE is still a very commonly used chemical in the United States and throughout the world. Its production has been increasing over the past several years and it is widely available online,” said first author Samuel M. Goldman, MD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco and San Francisco VA Medical Center.

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Researchers compared Parkinson disease diagnoses among veterans who spent time at Camp Lejeune, where TCE levels in water were 70-fold higher than the permissible amount, with diagnoses among veterans who spent time at Camp Pendleton in California, where the water supply was not contaminated. 

A total 430 veterans were diagnosed with Parkinson disease, according to follow-up data that extended through early 2021. Some 279 of them were stationed at Camp Lejeune, and 151 were stationed at Camp Pendleton. Multivariable models showed a 70% increased risk for Camp Lejeune veterans compared with Camp Pendleton Veterans, researchers reported.

The study also found Camp Lejeune veterans had a significantly increased risk of tremor, anxiety, and erectile dysfunction, which are considered prodromal features of Parkinson disease, as well as higher cumulative prodromal risk scores. However, they did not show increased risk for other forms of neurodegenerative parkinsonism.

“The study’s findings suggest that the risk of Parkinson disease is higher in persons exposed to TCE and other volatile organic compounds in water 4 decades ago,” researchers wrote. “Millions worldwide have been and continue to be exposed to this ubiquitous environmental contaminant.”

References

Goldman SM, Weaver FM, Stroupe KT, et al. Risk of Parkinson disease among service members at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. JAMA Neurol. Published online May 15, 2023. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.1168

Chemical exposure may raise your risk for Parkinson’s. News release. University of California - San Francisco; May 15, 2023. Accessed May 19, 2023.