Chemicals Found In US Drinking Water Linked to Two High-risk, Deadly Cancers

Drinking water in the US is unsafe to drink and has a high risk of not one but two terrible cancers, according to a new study. An analysis from Sweden has reported that disinfecting water with chlorine creates chemical byproducts that increase the risk of bladder cancer by 33 per cent and colorectal cancer by 15 per cent.

Experts say the main culprits are the trihalomethanes, or THMs—made up of four compounds, namely, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform—found in nearly all public water systems across the United States.

“What we see is alarming and we need some more high-quality studies,” Dr. Emilie Helte. Lead study author and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden told the Guardian. The US has treated drinking water with chlorine for over a century. Routine disinfection began in 1908 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

According to experts, the practice was so successful at eradicating waterborne illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever that it was adopted by the entire country and has remained like this since then. However, by the 1970s, it was discovered that there are several side effects of adding chlorine to water, which included potentially harmful byproducts like THMs and haloacetic acids—long-term exposure to which can lead to possible damage to the liver, kidneys, and reproductive syst skin irritation upon contact; and in extreme cases, severe burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach if ingested in very high concentrations.

For a long time, various environmental groups have warned that THMs and HAAs also increase the risk of cancer and reproductive issues. A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has said men may be at greater risk than women. The analysis, a review of 30 scientific studies involving over 90,000 participants, found elevated cancer risks with THM levels as low as 40 parts per billion (ppb).

The data says THMs have been detected at 38.1 ppb in New York City’s water supply. The US limits THM in drinking water to 80 ppb, while the EWG recommends not exceeding 0.15 ppb.

According to experts, people should continue drinking tap water and recommend using granular activated carbon to filter harmful chemicals at home.

The present research has also followed recent reports about forever chemicals in US drinking water supplies. One of the studies linked these manmade chemicals to a 33 per cent higher incidence of certain cancers.

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