From this Italian study, we learn a possible link between chlorinated water and bladder cancer."There were 249 (45%) patients who only drank bottled water, 177 (32%) who drank municipal water, 38 (7%) who drank artesian well water, 7 (1%) who drank spring water and 89 (16%) with a mixed water source. A chlorinated water supply was more frequent in never smokers than in smokers (p=0.015). T1 tumours (cancer that has begin to grow into the connective tissue beneath the bladder lining) occurred statistically more frequently (p=0.02) in patients drinking chlorinated municipal water than Ta tumours (cancer just in the innermost layer of the bladder lining), suggesting a possible role of disinfection by-products in promoting bladder cancer aggressiveness. Therefore patients drinking chlorinated water for a long period should also be considered at higher risk. The activity/effect of water pollution is possibly weaker than that of cigarette smoking and not easily detected in smokers due to a masking effect caused by the stronger factor."
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