Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological and biochemical associations between chronic exposure to heavy metal-polluted river water and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) in an industrial district of Pune, India.

Background: Environmental neurotoxicants, particularly waterborne heavy metals, are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Chronic heavy metal accumulation is hypothesized to trigger mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and the selective apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons. This study investigates the serum heavy metal profiles and subsequent PD risk among rural residents relying on industrially contaminated river water for domestic use.

Method: A population-based case-control investigation enrolled 860 PD patients and 825 age- and sex-matched healthy controls residing in the same industrial river basin. Inclusion criteria required long-term domestic utilization (bathing and household activities) of the local river water. Serum concentrations of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were quantified via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Clinical data and exposure chronologies were cross-referenced with electronic medical records and the TRACTOR project database to map PD risk.

Results: PD patients demonstrated significantly elevated serum concentrations of Cu and Fe (p < 0.05), elements heavily implicated in catalyzing neurotoxic oxidative stress. While Pb levels were elevated in the PD cohort, the variance did not achieve statistical significance (p > 0.05). Conversely, healthy controls exhibited significantly higher Zn concentrations, suggesting a potential neuroprotective or competitive binding role. Interestingly, Cd levels were paradoxically elevated in the non-PD control group, while As and Cr concentrations showed no significant inter-group variances.

Conclusion: Chronic domestic exposure to heavy metal contamination is strongly associated with altered serum elemental profiles and increased PD risk in rural Pune. The significant elevations in redox-active metals (Cu, Fe) underscore a critical environmental pathway for neurodegeneration. These findings mandate urgent public health interventions and stricter industrial effluent regulations to protect vulnerable rural populations from neurotoxic water sources.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/association-of-riverine-heavy-metal-contamination-with-parkinsons-disease-risk-in-rural-pune-a-population-based-case-control-study/