PULSE Australia has highlighted reports pulse production in particular could be linked to higher rates of Parkinson’s disease are solely based on correlation, not scientific data.

A report commissioned by Parkinson’s Victoria found an alarming cluster of local government areas with markedly higher rates of Parkinson’s disease than the state average in western Victoria.

It found the rate of Parkinson's was 78 per cent higher than the state average of .5 per cent in the Buloke Shire, 76 per cent higher in Horsham, 57 per cent higher in the Northern Grampians and 34 per cent higher in Yarriambiack.

The research was funded by Parkinson's Victoria and led by a husband and wife duo: health services researcher Dr Darshini Ayton and neuroscientist Dr Scott Ayton. 

One of the report’s recommendations was to explore closer any potential link between pesticides used in pulse production systems and Parkinson’s. However, Darshini Ayton said this recommendation had been made on statistical, rather than scientific grounds.

She said the researchers had gone through Australian Bureau of Statistics data and found one potential correlation was that all four of the municipalities mentioned had higher rates of pulse production than the rest of Victoria.

Dr Ayton stressed this correlation, rather than any scientific reasoning was the reason pulses were mentioned. The two pesticides mentioned by name in the study due to international scientific research finding links to increased rates of Parkinson’s, paraquat and rotenone, are not used specifically in the pulse sector.

Pulse Australia chairman Peter Wilson said he was disappointed the pulse industry was singled out based only on the ABS data.

“There are multitudes of different reasons that could account for this higher prevalence of the disease in this area.”

Mr Wilson said Pulse Australia strongly supported the researchers’ call for more funding into research of the disease, including investigating the impact of pesticides used in agricultural production systems.

“We support the ongoing research and regulation of agricultural pesticides and their safe use,” he said.

However, he asked for non-scientific theories to be kept private.

“Such claims do not assist sufferers of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and can cause damage to an industry by raising concern in the mind of the community without providing any scientific evidence.”