Objective: To evaluate the association between occupational exposure to specific pesticides and Parkinson’s disease in participants from the PPMI Online cohort, and to determine whether the use of personal protective equipment modifies the relationship between pesticide exposure and PD risk.

Background:

Occupational exposure to pesticides has been consistently linked to Parkinson’s disease, yet evidence remains heterogeneous regarding specific compounds and the potential modifying role of personal protective equipment. Data on newer pesticides and contemporary exposure patterns are particularly limited.

Method:

We conducted a cross-sectional observational from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) Online study (www.ppmi-info.org). Analyses were restricted to participants reporting occupational work with potential pesticide exposure in agricultural or related settings. Lifetime exposure to 29 individual pesticides was assessed using self-reported occupational histories. PD cases and controls were defined according to PPMI enrollment cohorts. Logistic regression models estimated associations between pesticide exposure and PD, with adjustment for age and sex. PPE use was evaluated as a covariate and as a potential effect modifier through interaction and stratified analyses.

Results: Among 2,672 eligible participants, 1,449 were classified as PD cases and 1,223 as controls. After adjustment, exposure to fipronil (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.23–3.70), permethrin (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.19–1.93), glyphosate (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.11–1.63), and chlorpyrifos (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.12–2.63) was associated with increased odds of PD. PPE use did not meaningfully attenuate these associations and was itself associated with higher PD odds, consistent with greater exposure intensity. No significant pesticide PPE interactions were found.

Conclusion: Specific occupational pesticide exposures, including newer compounds, were associated with increased PD risk in this cohort. The absence of risk attenuation with PPE use highlights the need to better characterize exposure pathways, particularly dermal absorption, in occupational settings.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/occupational-pesticide-exposure-personal-protective-equipment-and-parkinsons-disease-an-observational-study-from-the-ppmi-cohort/