Neurology: Living Near Water-Polluting Industrial Facilities Linked to Risk of Rare Brain Disease

October 30, 2026 14:43

People living near industrial facilities that pollute water may face an increased risk of developing progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and balance. This is the conclusion of researchers who analyzed data from more than 500,000 UK residents. The findings were published in the journal Neurology.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) belongs to a group of disorders known as atypical parkinsonism. It shares some symptoms with Parkinson’s disease but typically progresses more rapidly and responds differently to treatment. The condition can affect walking, balance, eye movements, and speech.

Researchers followed the participants for up to 25 years. During this period, 221 people developed PSP. Each of them was matched with ten participants of the same age and sex who did not develop the disease. The researchers then compared the participants’ residential addresses with data on industrial facilities that had reported discharging pollutants into water.

The analysis covered facilities involved in wastewater treatment, intensive fish farming, chemical manufacturing, and thermal power generation. Researchers examined six groups of pollutants, including pesticides, heavy metals, and organic and inorganic substances.

Approximately one-third of the participants with PSP lived within 4.8 kilometers of a facility that had reported water pollution. Among those without the disease, the proportion was about one-quarter.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and education level, the researchers found that living near facilities associated with pesticide discharges was linked to a 66% increase in the relative risk of PSP. The corresponding figures were 60% for inorganic pollutants, 52% for organic substances, and 38% for heavy metals.

However, the researchers found no association between the disease and chlorinated solvents or persistent organic pollutants. They also identified evidence that the association with PSP risk weakened as the distance from an industrial facility increased, extending to approximately 9.7 kilometers. The length of time spent living near a pollution source may also have played a role.

“These findings suggest that environmental water pollutants may play a role in the development of progressive supranuclear palsy,” said the study's lead author, Charlie Weige Zhao of Harvard Medical School.