One of the biggest questions when choosing where to live is what you’ll need to do to get your clothes cleaned.
And one thing to love about New York is there’s always a spot just up the block.
But new research suggests there’s a good reason to avoid that convenience: The closer you live to a dry cleaner, the more likely you’ll develop a debilitating disease that slowly kills cells in the brain.
Parkinson’s Disease is the second-most common neurological disorder in older adults and affects about 1.1 million people across the US.
Experts say it’s caused by a mix of genes, aging and environmental factors — like exposure to certain chemicals.
While the association appeared across the country, researchers found pockets—including in New York—where Parkinson’s was particularly common among people living near dry cleaners.
They believe one chemical in particular could be part of the reason living near a dry cleaner could increase risk of this disease.
Parkinson’s Disease and the cleaner next door
Parkinson’s causes nerve cells in the brain to weaken, become damaged and die. This causes issues with movement and balance, causes tremors, or shaking hands and fingers, and painful stiffness.
This is a progressive disease, and as it gets worse, people have a harder time walking, talking, and completing everyday tasks.
People who develop Parkinson’s often develop a “parkinsonian gait” which makes them stoop forward while swinging their arms, and they’re forced to take small, shuffling steps.
Researchers found that the people with the highest risk of getting Parkinson’s live 500 feet or less from a dry cleaner. That’s about two blocks running North-South in Manhattan, and a little less than a block running East-West, or between avenues. People who lived a few miles away had a lower risk.
In the city, there are over 72,000 business and individuals with a dry cleaning license.
In the NYC area (which extended into New Jersey), people living within about 500 feet of a dry cleaner had 13% higher odds of Parkinson’s than those living farther away.
But it’s not just in big cities like New York and Detroit. Resarchers also found clusters in Southern Illinois, along the Tennessee-Kentucky border, central Pennsylvania, and north-central Indiana.
Southern Illinois had the worst correlation. People living within 500 feet of a dry cleaner had more than twice the odds of Parkinson’s compared to those living further away.
How dry cleaning chemicals play a role
Researchers point to TCE, or trichloroethylene, as possible reason for increased Parkinson’s risk This chemical has been used for everything from decaffeinating coffee to dry cleaning for a century.
But we’ve known for decades it’s toxic. It’s been linked to miscarriages and babies born with heart defects, plus a 500 percent increased risk of Parkinson’s.
It was widely used in dry cleaning until individual states, including New York, started banning the chemical. In 2024, a nationwide ban was enacted by the EPA.
Meanwhile, a related hazardous chemical called PCE, or perc / percholoroethylene, is still in use by dry cleaners but in the midst of a 10-year phase out so dry cleaners can transition to new machines.
PCE can evaporate into the air and get into nearby buildings, which is called “vapor intrusion.”
This doesn’t mean the clothes you got dry cleaned are now toxic. Exposure is more from inhalation or direct skin contact with these chemicals, not through dry cleaned clothes.
Many dry cleaners have also turned to “green” alternatives to PCE, like liquid CO2 cleaning and silicone-based solvents like GreenEarth.
TCE and PCE aren’t the first chemicals linked to Parkinson’s. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, people exposed to pesticides and pollutants through farming or landscaping are also at a higher risk of Parkinson’s.
