NEWSBRIEF - Arsenic in drinking water
Taiwanese researchers have found that men exposed to high levels of inorganic arsenic in their drinking water have a 29 times increased risk of developing bladder cancer. Studies in Chile, Argentina, Japan and the UK have shown similar results. The World Health Organization and the European Union have recognized the danger of arsenic contamination and have recently set the maximum acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water at 10 ppb (parts per billion). The current maximum allowable level in the USA is 50 ppb and the Canadian level is 25 ppb. Health Canada admits that this has more to do with the ability of current water treatment facilities to reduce arsenic contamination than with the actual science of health effects.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 166, January 8, 2002, p. 69