I've been warning you how dangerous it can be for your health to drink tap water, if for no other reason, the toxic fluoride it contains. A troubling report, based on an analysis of six case-controlled studies, has found consuming more drinks made from tap water increased the risk of bladder cancer among men.
Those results compared more than 2,700 cases of bladder cancer with almost twice as many cancer-free patients, all living in the United States, Finland, France, Italy and Canada. Although results among women were inconsistent, men who drank more than 2 liters of tap water every day increased their risk of bladder cancer by 50 percent.
Another disturbing finding, especially if you like coffee: Drinking more than five cups a day also resulted in a higher risk of bladder cancer. In fact, a third of the overall intake of water among patients was relegated to coffee.
Researchers believe cancer-causing agents are created when disinfectant chemicals like chlorine come in contact with organic materials already in water, among them trihalomethanes. And, that's why washing dishes with antibacterial dish soaps in tap water isn't safe for you either.
International Journal of Cancer, Vol. 118, No. 8, April 15, 2006: 2040-2047
Yahoo News May 5, 2006