A 2025 JAMA study found a 126% increase in Parkinson's disease risk for people living within a mile of a golf course. Dr. Robert Whitfield identifies three pesticides—chlorpyrifos, chlorothalonil, and atrazine—as likely causes, absorbed through skin and inhaled during play. These chemicals deplete glutathione and impair detoxification, raising surgical risks for genetically vulnerable patients.
If you weren't here before, I'm Dr. Robert Whitfield MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon. I'm in Austin, Texas, and tonight is the finale of our 3-part series. Over the last 2 nights, we've laid out a reality that most people in medicine are completely ignoring. In part 1, we looked at the hidden toxic burden. The 2025 JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association, data showing 126% increased odds risk of Parkinson's disease for people living within 1 mile of a golf course. We talked about chlorpyrifos, we talked about chlorothalonil, and atrazine. These chemicals are applied at industrial scale, and they absorb directly into our skin when we're on the courses, and we can inhale them as well. In part 2, we connected that the exposure can lead to issues in the operating room. We talked about how the chemicals deplete glutathione, how they drive chronic inflammation and can compromise detox, detox pathways, certainly in many of my patients who already have genetic predisposition to limited detoxification.
