Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine

Millions of people in the world have been exposed to arsenic through contamination of drinking water.  Arsenic can cause a higher risk of cancers, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, and skin cancer.

Many people grew up in countries other than the United States. C. Steinmaus and co-authors (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 2013, Volume 22, Page 623), reported on studies of patients who lived in Northern Chile.  Since over a quarter million people were exposed to high arsenic levels up until 1970 through drinking water, they looked at the risk of bladder cancer and lung cancer relative to arsenic exposure in drinking water.

The risks of cancer were elevated by almost 700% for bladder cancer and over 400% for lung cancer.

Since these bladder and lung cancers occurred up to 40 years after exposure to arsenic, it is important to realize that growing up in areas where arsenic exposure was higher can still be increasing that person’s risk of bladder and lung cancers.

So here are my tips for you:

• If you grew up in areas other than major metropolitan areas in the United States, research if there was a risk of arsenic exposure by doing an internet search for arsenic levels and the location.
• If you are having difficulty finding this, ask for help from your physician’s office (which might have no knowledge of how to help you) or from your library.
• If you find that you have had arsenic exposure, advise your physician so that your doctor can have you undergo screening tests for lung, bladder and skin cancers.
• If you are not feeling well, ask your doctor to do a heavy metal blood or urine test to be certain you are not loaded with toxins.
  

  What’s in the environment can bother your health

For more information on how to use the internet for determining health information, see my new book, “Surviving American Medicine.”