A pesticide still legally sprayed on strawberries, apples, citrus, soybeans, and wheat in most U.S. states has been linked to a more than 2.5-fold increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease — and a landmark study from UCLA Health has now identified, for the first time, exactly how it causes that damage.
The findings, published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration and receiving renewed scientific attention following a June 28, 2026, press push by UCLA and ScienceDaily, build what researchers describe as one of the strongest cases yet that chlorpyrifos — an organophosphate insecticide from the same chemical family as nerve agents — does not merely correlate with Parkinson's disease but likely contributes to causing it.
