Cancer and Water Contamination

It is disturbing to learn that contaminated water can contain over 2,100 toxins that contribute to the formation of cancer in the body. Water filtering can play an important role in keeping these contaminants away from our bodies and especially the bodies of those with weakened immune systems. Of course, knowing which contaminants are the worst for your body when it comes to causing cancer is important, too. Some of the more well known contaminants that could be in tap water include:

Arsenic

Arsenic is a poison that can seep into ground water and surface water through surface runoff containing contaminated soil or other organic compounds. It causes many problems and signs of illness in people who are exposed to it and eventually leads to death if not treated appropriately. Arsenic poisoning through water is sometimes called chronic arsenic poisoning and is recognized when a person begins consuming 0.01 mg/L of arsenic in their drinking water.

Arsenic poisoning, especially chronic arsenic poisoning, has been linked to several types of cancer. These cancers include:

Benzene

Benzene is an organic chemical compound that can sometimes be found in contaminated water. It is a component of many different things, such as industrial solvents, and can easily contaminate water through surface runoff that seeps into ground and surface waters. This can contaminate water and slip through the treatment process of the water treatment plant or seep into water after it�s been treated.

As a contaminant, benzene can cause many problems in healthy people as well as those with weak immune systems. Benzene has also been classified as a carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as frequent exposure to benzene can be the cause of several types of leukemia including acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Chromium

Chromium is a chemical element that appears as a metal in nature. This metal is a necessary trace element for humans in tiny amounts of its pure form, but other forms, such as hexavalent chromium are poisonous to people. These forms of carcinogenic chromium are found in paints, inks, dyes, and other manufactured products, which can seep into natural fresh water sources.

Improper disposal of anything with carcinogenic chromium in it can easily contaminate ground and surface water sources through surface runoff. While there is controversy over whether carcinogenic chromium is as potent in water or not, there is strong evidence to prove that lung cancer is just one of the types of cancer that it can cause.

Chlorine

Chlorine has been added to tap water for a very long time in small doses to treat the water and kill the deadly bacteria there. Yet studies are now showing that continual ingestion of chlorine may be raising the risk of many types of cancer in the body. This comes from many places taking fresh water out of dirty sources like the Mississippi River and adding more than the EPA sanctioned amount of chlorine to clean the water.

Aside from the odd taste and smell that chlorine can leave in water, ingestion of the chemical element has proven over time to enhance the chances for us to develop certain types of cancer. These types include:

Radon

Radon is a chemical element and appears as a heavy gas in nature. It is considered to be a harmful substance and makes it into ground water by settling in soil. The soil is then pulled into silt surface runoff and ends up in surface water sources like rivers and lakes. Radon is a contaminant that can be found in tap water and has been linked to causing lung cancer. It comes in second only to cigarette smoking as the most frequently diagnosed cause of lung cancer.

Cadmium

Cadmium is a chemical element that appears in a metallic form in nature. It is used in batteries and other products that eventually result in surface runoff with cadmium getting into surface water supplies. This metal is always toxic to human beings and can lead to cadmium poisoning.

Cadmium has been proven not only to be toxic to human beings but carcinogenic as well. It has been proven to be linked to colon cancer in addition to prostate cancer and breast cancer in people who have ingested or been exposed in some other way to cadmium.

There are many contaminants in water that can harm people, and many that can have dangerous repercussions. Many contaminants have been found to be carcinogens, which means that they can cause a person develop cancer. Filtering water is an excellent way to reduce your risk of ingesting these carcinogens and to protect yourself.