More and more communities are becoming concerned about potential links between cancer and chemicals found in their drinking water. Whether you drink municipal water or drink from a well, additives and contaminates linked to cancer probably exist in your water.

Although water providers are required by federal law to follow guidelines that are designed to keep these cancer-causing chemicals at "safe" levels in the water, there is much debate at what actually is "safe." Because of these concerns, water providers are now required by law to publish the results of their water testing every year for public review.

Some of the chemicals added to water to keep us healthy could oddly enough actually be contributing to cancer rates. Studies concerning chlorine and fluoride have determined high levels of these chemicals could cause cancer.

Chlorine, used to disinfect most community water supplies, produce Trihalomethanes (THMs), chemicals formed when chlorine reacts with organic material, like bacteria, in water. The American Journal of Public Health published an article in regard to a 1992 study that linked trihalomethanes in water to incidences of rectal, bladder and pancreatic cancer.

Citizens' groups frequently target fluoride, which is added to the water supply of most municipalities to help cut down on tooth decay in children, as a possible carcinogen. The Journal of Epidemiology, in 2001, linked fluoride as the genetic cause of cancer. A 1990 National Toxicology Program study determined fluoride could be the cause of cancers affecting the mouth, pharynx, colon and rectum. Another study, with results published in the Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology in 2001, linked osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, with fluoride.

Atrazine, an herbicide used on crops, is also found in drinking water. It is suspected of causing breast cancer. Another chemical, trichloroethylene, a solvent used in dry cleaning, is found sometimes in water supplies near facilities that do not dispose of their chemicals properly. It is considered a possible cancer-causing agent as well.

Most municipalities do not have the costly technology to filter these and other potentially harmful chemicals from the water. Neither do most bottled water companies, which frequently get the water they bottle from the same sources as municipalities. Reverse osmosis filtering is one of the few effective ways to remove potential cancer-causing chemicals from your water.

According to recent news and reports, most tap and well water in the U.S. are not safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution. Toxic bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals routinely penetrate and pollute our natural water sources making people sick while exposing them to long term health consequences such as liver damage, cancer and other serious conditions. We have reached the point where all sources of our drinking water, including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers, contain some level of contamination. Even some brands of bottled water have been found to contain high levels of contaminants in addition to plastics chemical leaching from the bottle.

A good water filtration system installed in your home is the only way to proactively monitor and ensure the quality and safety of your drinking water. Reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove 90-99% of all contaminants from city and well water to deliver healthy drinking filtered water for you and your family.

A report released by the Environmental Working Group provides yet another reason not to drink bottled water: disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue and pain medication. All these chemicals and more were found in multiple brands of bottled water EWG tested.

The cost of bottled water is about 1,900 times greater than tap water, a price tag many people are comfortable paying because they believe they are drinking something "pure." EWG's comprehensive report counters this assumption, with data indicating chemical contaminants in every brand of bottled water EWG tested.

Some store brand of bottled water contained a cocktail of chlorine and fluoride found in municipal water, making these brands identical to municipal water with the exception of their price tags. In California these brands exceeded legal contaminant limits and were also found chemically potent in stores in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and DC.

Samples EWG bought in San Francisco contained disinfection byproducts which have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems. EWG announced it filed a suit to require a store to post a warning sign on its bottles that the water contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, an act required under California law.

Other brands tested contained chemicals including fertilizer byproducts, chemical remnants of prescription meds, industrial chemicals, bacteria, arsenic, and even boron. The study also included assays for breast cancer cell proliferation, conducted at the University of Missouri. One bottled water brand spurred a 78% increase in the growth of the breast cancer cells compared to the control sample.

The bottled water industry, unlike municipal water sources, is not required to reveal the chemical components of its products.

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