Parkinson’s May Be Linked to Water, Not Just Genes
▼ Summary
– For decades, Marines and families at Camp Lejeune unknowingly consumed water contaminated with the solvent TCE, which vaporized from the groundwater.
– The contamination led to significantly higher rates of cancers and illnesses among those stationed at the base, with the Navy initially denying the health risks.
– Research by Langston’s team in the 1980s and 90s strongly linked Parkinson’s disease to environmental toxins like pesticides and flagged TCE as a potential cause.
– A later study found Marines exposed to TCE at Lejeune had a 70% higher risk of Parkinson’s compared to those at an unexposed base.
– The focus of medical research shifted dramatically toward genetics following the Human Genome Project, diverting funding and attention away from environmental health studies.
Life at Camp Lejeune seemed idyllic for Amy Lindberg, with tennis matches and runs through the sprinklers to beat the summer heat. Yet an invisible danger was spreading through the ground beneath her. For decades before 1953, a powerful industrial solvent called trichloroethylene, or TCE, had seeped into the base’s groundwater. This chemical was a workhorse of its era, used for everything from cleaning machinery to pressing uniforms at the local dry cleaner. Its presence was common not just at the military installation, but across the country. The substance seemed harmless at first contact, with no immediate ill effects from skin exposure or inhalation. The true danger of TCE, however, lies in its delayed and insidious impact on human health.
For roughly 35 years, service members and their families at Lejeune were exposed to vaporized TCE through their tap water. Despite mounting evidence, the overseeing Navy initially denied the contamination’s existence and later dismissed its health implications. As the veteran population aged, a disturbing pattern emerged. Rates of certain cancers soared far above national averages. Research indicated significantly elevated risks for kidney cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The tragic consequences were felt community-wide, even necessitating an expansion of the local infant cemetery.
During this same period, researcher J. William Langston was building the California Parkinson’s Foundation, dedicated to uncovering the roots of the neurological disease. His team made critical discoveries, developing the first animal model for Parkinson’s and linking the pesticide Paraquat to high rates of the illness among farmworkers. A pivotal study of twins revealed that identical twins developed Parkinson’s at the same rate as fraternal twins, a finding that challenged the idea of a purely genetic origin since identical twins share the same DNA. Langston’s group even flagged TCE as a potential environmental trigger.
The focus of medical research, however, was shifting dramatically. The launch of the Human Genome Project in 1990 captured the scientific imagination, promising to map all human genes and revolutionize medicine. This monumental effort drew comparisons to the moon landing and dominated funding and attention. For scientists investigating environmental causes of disease, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Genetics became the overwhelming priority, attracting the majority of research dollars and a new generation of scientists trained to look primarily for genetic answers. As one researcher noted, the field often moves like a herd, and at that time, the ball was decidedly not with environmental health.
This context makes a recent comparative study all the more significant. When epidemiologist Sam Goldman analyzed health data, he found that Marines exposed to TCE at Camp Lejeune were 70 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those stationed at Camp Pendleton, a base without such contamination. This striking evidence underscores that for many complex diseases, the cause may not reside solely in our genes, but also in the environment that surrounds us.
(Source: Wired)