Pesticides Linked to Higher Parkinson's Risk in New Review

A large umbrella review pulled together data from many systematic reviews. It searched major databases up to September 2025. Five high‑quality reviews met the criteria. The combined results show that any pesticide exposure is linked to a higher chance of Parkinson’s disease. The odds ratio was about 1.6 with a confidence interval that does not cross one.

When the analysis focused on people who work with pesticides the risk stayed about the same. The odds ratio was roughly 1.66. The studies showed moderate differences between each other. This suggests that job‑related contact is a clear factor.

The weed killer paraquat got special attention. Any exposure to paraquat gave an odds ratio near 1.64. Long‑term exposure pushed the estimate up to about 1.75. Only a few studies contributed to the long‑term number, so the result is less certain.

For many other pesticide classes the numbers were fuzzy. Confidence intervals often included no effect. The authors say that better ways to measure exposure and more consistent reporting are needed. Until then the exact risk for each chemical remains unclear.