Drinking Water Contaminant Exposures and Risk of Uterine Cancer

Is exposure to disinfection byproducts and inorganic contaminants in public water supplies associated with the risk of uterine cancer? In this cohort study of 53 100 female educators in California, exposure to higher levels of total trihalomethanes was associated with incident uterine cancer and endometrioid tumors specifically, with positive associations observed for some individual trihalomethanes. Higher levels of total haloacetic acids were associated with nonendometrioid tumors, while no associations were observed for nitrate, arsenic, or uranium. These findings suggest that long-term exposure to certain disinfection byproducts may increase the risk of uterine cancer.

Corresponding Author: Rena R. Jones, PhD, MS, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Dr, Room 6E138, Rockville, MD 20850 (rena.jones@nih.gov).

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