Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JNCI, Toxin Research / 14.05.2016
Study Links Well-Water Arsenic To Increased Bladder Cancer Risk in New England
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Debra Silverman Sc.D
Branch Chief and Senior Investigator in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics
National Cancer Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Silverman: We know that bladder cancer mortality rates have been elevated in northern New England for at least five decades. Incidence patterns in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are similar—about 20% higher than those for the United States overall. Elevated rates have been observed in both men and women, suggesting the role of a shared environmental etiologic factor.
A unique feature of northern New England is that a high proportion of the population uses private wells as their primary source of drinking water. The well water may contain low-to-moderate levels of arsenic. There are two possible sources of this arsenic contamination:
- Naturally occurring arsenic from geological sources (released from rock deep in the earth)
- Leaching of arsenic-based pesticides used on food crops many years ago. From the 1920s through the 1960s there was extensive agricultural use of arsenic-based pesticides. These compounds were used on food crops such as blueberries, apples and potatoes. Residue from the treatments may have leached into the ground water.