There is a link between trihalomethanes (THMs) (the by-products of water chlorination) and bladder cancer in France, according to the results of two studies by Public Health France. Chlorine present in tap water could be involved in bladder cancers.
While chlorine is very effective in destroying bacteria and viruses and preventing diseases, some of which can be serious (hepatitis A, dysentery, ….) even fatal, it reacts with organic matter of natural origin already present in treated water to form chlorination by-products (SPC), such as trihalomethanes (THM). These unwanted substances are bromoform, chloroform, dibromochloromethane and bromodichloromethane.
“THMs are a group of chemicals among more than 600 SPCs identified today, the most common. These are the only regulated SPCs in France, with a quality limit set at 100µg / L. », Recalls the site of Public Health France. However, there is an exposure-risk relationship for bladder cancer in humans.
18% of bladder cancers caused by PCS
In fact, a geographical ecological study was carried out on the 11 departments between 1998-2011 (more than 4,400 municipalities and 18,000 cases of cancer) to understand the relationship between the incidence of bladder cancer and exposure to under-conditions. -products of chlorination (SPC) present in tap water, by sex.
According to the findings of this report, 18% [6% – 31%] cases of bladder cancer in men are attributable in France to SPCs in distributed water, ie around 1,600 cases per year.
But the Public Health France site recalls that “the smoking active is the number one risk factor for bladder cancer. It is thought to be responsible for nearly 50% of bladder cancers, with a higher percentage in men. The relative risks associated with smokers, or ex-smokers, are respectively 2.8 and 1.9, regardless of gender ”.
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