Arsenic linked to bladder cancer risk.

PositionWater-Well Poisoning

Drinking water from private wells, particularly dug wells established during the first half of the 20th century, may have contributed to the elevated risk of bladder cancer that has been observed in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for more than 50 years. Other risk factors for bladder cancer, such as smoking and occupational exposures, did not explain the excess risk in this region, maintains a study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., and colleagues at the School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; the departments of health for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; and the U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va.

The incidence of bladder cancer in these three states has been about 20% higher than that in the U.S. overall. Rates are elevated among both men and women. A unique feature of this region is the high proportion of the population using private wells for their drinking water, which are not maintained by municipalities and are not subject to Federal regulations. These wells may contain...

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