Using well water for drinking instead of deriving it from public supply may put individuals at an increased risk of bladder cancer, according to new research.
Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham reached this conclusion based on a larger study which aimed to uncover the source of differences in bladder cancer rates across the U.S.
The researchers compared bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates for men and women to levels of cigarette smoking, solar UV radiation and well water as a source of drinking.
The results reaffirmed that cigarette smoking is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates, and found that well water intake is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence in women and mortality rates in both sexes.
Moreover, exposure to solar UV radiation is inversely associated with the risk.
“Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor associated with bladder cancer but sources such as the patients water supply are coming to light as potential unmonitored risk factors,” says Dr. J. Brantley Thrasher, a spokesman for the American Urological Association.
To explain the results, the researchers hypothesize that increased risks may arise from pesticide contamination, which may be present in drinking water from unmonitored domestic wells.
Those concerned about the quality of the water they drink may turn to the alkaline water.
It has a higher pH level, and there is evidence it may help neutralize stored acids and toxins and facilitate their removal from the body. 