Well Water May Up Risk for Bladder Cancer

As researchers try to zero on specific causes of various cancers, they frequently come up with surprising results.

Bladder cancer is no different. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that in 2008, there were 68,810 new cases of bladder cancer in the United States and there were 14,100 deaths related to bladder cancer. So far, researchers know that the following may increase your risk of developing bladder cancer:

• Family history of bladder cancer
• Being over age 40
• Being a man
• Being white
• Smoking
• Certain professions, such as hairdressing, leather workers, textile workers, printers, painters, etc.
• Having had a parasitic infection
• Having been treated with medications called cyclophosphamide or arsenic for other medical problems

That being said, having some of those factors doesn’t mean you will get bladder cancer, but the more risk factors you do have, the higher your risk.

Researchers have discovered more risks to add to the list. This article, Certain Ecologic Factors Associated With Greater Risk Of Bladder Cancer, describes the results of a study done at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The article says, “The study reaffirmed that cigarette smoking is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates in men and women, and found that well water intake is directly associated with bladder cancer incidence in women and mortality rates in both sexes; and that exposure to solar UV radiation is inversely associated with bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates in both sexes.”

It’s an interesting study, which hopefully can bring more to the table in terms of ways we may be able to prevent bladder cancer.

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