Doctors Warn Chemical Exposure May Be Driving the Rise in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease continues to surge worldwide — and some experts say environmental chemicals could be playing a much bigger role than previously recognized, according to The Wall Street Journal. Parkinson’s is now the world’s fastest-growing brain disorder, says 2025 research.

One example highlighted by the WSJ: David Toth and his sister both grew up working in their family’s Rochester, N.Y., dry-cleaning shop. Both later developed Parkinson’s. Doctors told them the likely culprit was perchloroethylene (PCE), a dry-cleaning solvent.