A link between low-to-moderate levels of arsenic in drinking water and bladder cancer risk in New England was observed in a population-based case-control study involving more than 2,600 individuals.

People with bladder cancer (n=1,213) and a control group (n=1,418) provided information on suspected risk factors. Investigators estimated arsenic concentrations in water samples from current and past homes. Among the results:

• Bladder cancer risk rose with increasing water intake, and was a statistically significant trend in those who drank water from a private well.

• The trend was especially apparent in those who drank water exclusively from shallow dug wells.

• In those who drank water from wells dug before 1960, heavier water consumers had twice the risk of light users.

• The risk in the highest-exposed participants from all water sources was twice that of the lowest-exposed participants.

Citation: Baris D, Waddell R, Beane L, et al. Elevated bladder cancer in Northern New England: The role of drinking water and arsenic. [Published online ahead of print May2, 2016]. J Natl Cancer Inst. doi:10.1093/jnci/djw099.