Recent research conducted on 340,000 service members revealed that those who were stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1975 and 1985, when the water supply was contaminated with the solvent trichloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds, had a 70% higher chance of developing Parkinson’s disease. These findings imply that exposure to trichloroethylene in water may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, which is a concern worldwide due to the widespread presence of this environmental contaminant.

This study analyzed the likelihood of developing PD among Marines and Navy personnel who lived at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (where the water was contaminated) (n = 172,128), or Camp Pendleton, California (where the water was uncontaminated) (n = 168,361), for a minimum of 3 months between 1975 and 1985. The study followed them from January 1, 1997, until February 17, 2021.

The people residing in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were supplied with drinking water that was contaminated with TCE, PCE, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from 1953 to 1987. This is one of the most well-documented cases of large-scale contamination in the US.

The contamination occurred due to various sources on the base, such as underground storage tanks, industrial spills, and waste disposal sites (mostly TCE), as well as a dry-cleaning business off the base (mostly PCE). The wells that supplied water to the base were contaminated, and as a result, they were shut down in the mid-1980s after being tested under the Safe Drinking Water Act.