Living Close to Water Pollutant-Emitting Facilities Linked to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

THURSDAY, Nov. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Residential proximity to water pollutant-emitting facilities is associated with incident progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Neurology.

Charlie Weige Zhao, M.D., from Mass General Brigham in Boston, and colleagues compared incident PSP cases and age- and sex-matched controls by baseline residential proximity to water pollutant-emitting industrial facilities in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. Data were included for 221 incident PSP cases and 2,249 controls.

The researchers found that increased PSP risk was associated with proximity to facilities emitting heavy metals, pesticides, other organic pollutants, and other inorganic pollutants after false discovery rate correction (odds ratios, 1.38, 1.66, 1.52, and 1.60, respectively). There was a linear decrease seen in risk with greater distance (5 to 10 km). Unlike shorter residence windows, residence exceeding 40 years conferred increased risk for heavy metals and organic and inorganic pollutants.

“These results suggest that environmental water pollutants potentially play a role in the development of progressive supranuclear palsy,” Zhao said in a statement. “Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, but this is a step forward in understanding what raises a person”s chance of getting PSP.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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