Drinking Well Water May Increase Rectal Cancer Risk

A study published in the European Journal of Public Health found that drinking well water may increase a person's risk of developing rectal cancer.

Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 64,000 residents of Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China who were at least 30 years old. They divided them into five groups, depending on their source of drinking water: municipal, river, ditch, mixed, or well water.

They found that individuals in the well water group were more likely than people in any of the other groups to develop colorectal cancer. However, the association was strongest for rectal cancer.

If you use a well as your main water source, you may want to use bottled water for some things, like soup and morning coffee. This study is also one more reason to make sure you get screened if you're due.

Not sure if you're due? Take a look at these colon cancer screening guidelines.

_{Source: Chen, K. and Yu, W. "The Association Between Drinking Water Source and Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Jiashan County of China: A Prospective Cohort Study." European Journal of Public Health 15.6 (Jul. 2005): 652-656. 26 Aug. 2006.}