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Association of soil selenium, strontium, and magnesium concentrations with Parkinson’s disease mortality rates in the USA

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Abstract

Among the 41 soil elements analyzed from 4856 sites across the contiguous 48 states, average Parkinson’s disease (PD) mortality rates between 1999 and 2014 have the most significant positive correlation with the average soil strontium (Sr) concentrations (correlation r = 0.47, significance level p = 0.00), and average PD mortality rates have the most significant inverse correlation with the average soil selenium (Se) concentrations (r = −0.44, p = 0.00). Multivariate regression models indicate that soil Sr and Se concentrations can explain 35.4% of spatial disparities of the state average PD mortality rates between 1999 and 2014 (R 2 = 0.354). When the five outlier states were removed from the model, concentrations of soil Sr and Se can explain 62.4% (R 2 = 0.624) of the spatial disparities of PD mortality rates of the 43 remaining states. The results also indicate that high soil magnesium (Mg) concentrations suppressed the growth rate of the PD mortality rates between 1999 and 2014 in the 48 states (r = −0.42, p = 0.000). While both Se and Sr have been reported to affect the nervous system, this study is the first study that reported the statistically significant association between the PD mortality rates and soil concentrations of Se, Sr, and Mg in the 48 states. Given that soil elemental concentration in a region is broad indicator of the trace element intake from food, water, and air by people, implications of the results are that high soil Se and Mg concentrations helped reduce the PD mortality rates and benefited the PD patients in the 48 states.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments which helped improve this manuscript significantly. Editorial assistance of Michael Sun from Johns Hopkins University is appreciated as well.

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  1. Center for Healthcare Studies, GEMS Department, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648, USA

    Hongbing Sun

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  1. Hongbing Sun
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Sun, H. Association of soil selenium, strontium, and magnesium concentrations with Parkinson’s disease mortality rates in the USA. Environ Geochem Health 40, 349–357 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-017-9915-8

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