Carcinogens in Drinking Water: Is Your Water Raising Your Cancer Risk?

A recent study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) declares that Americans are drinking water containing cancer-causing contaminants and that the contamination could result in more than 100,000 cancer cases. As if that wasn`t bad enough, a cumulative risk analysis by the University of Illinois at Chicago found that U.S. counties with the highest pollution rates also have higher cancer rates, suggesting that contaminated drinking water likely plays a role.

The Link Between Drinking Water and Cancer

By itself, tap water doesn`t pose a threat to human health. The danger lies in what`s inside the water. Now and then, cancer-causing contaminants can invade public and private drinking water systems and contaminate them.

Most U.S. public water systems rely on surface water to keep taps flowing. For those systems, contamination risks increase during drought since there`s less water to dilute contaminants, which leads chemicals to concentrate in surface water. In addition, manufacturing and industrial plants release enormous amounts of carcinogens into surface water. These chemicals may eventually end up in home water supplies if the water treatment facility does not remove them.

Private groundwater systems have the highest risk of contamination because they`re often located in areas lacking the funding and infrastructure to eliminate pollutants. There`s also the threat of industrial waste entering groundwater. But here`s the real kicker: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn`t regulate private wells, so there`s no telling what`s entering home water supplies connected to underground wells.

So, while the water flowing from your tap might seem perfectly safe to drink, cook with, wash fruits and veggies, and prepare beverages, there`s a good chance it is tainted with chemicals linked to various cancers.