1,300 cases of bladder cancer caused by a chemical found in drinking water - what you need to know

A new study has revealed that 9.2 per cent of bladder cancer cases in the UK are caused by a chemical found in tap water.

The UK is one of nine countries in the EU that was found to exceed the ‘safe limit’ of the chemical.

What is the chemical?

The chemical is known as trihalomethanes (THMs) and is a byproduct of a disinfectant in water.

Researchers have found that it’s responsible for 1,356 bladder cancer diagnoses per year in the UK.

Across Europe, it causes just under five per cent of the total cases for the continent.

The large-scale study was undertaken by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.

Manolis Kogevinas, ISGlobal researcher, said: “Over the past 20 years, major efforts have been made to reduce THM levels.

“However, the current levels could still lead to a considerable bladder cancer burden, which could be prevented by optimising water treatment, disinfection and distribution practices.”

Dangerous drinking water?

The study looked at data from 26 European Union countries, excluding Bulgaria and Romania, and found that there were considerable differences between countries.

The study said: “The average level of THMs in drinking water in all countries was well below the maximum permissible limit in the EU, but the maximum reported concentrations did exceed the limit in nine countries.”

These countries are:

CyprusEstoniaHungaryIrelandItalyPolandPortugalSpainUnited Kingdom

Symptoms to look out for

The NHS states that “blood in your urine is the most common symptoms of bladder cancer”.

The NHS explains that you might notice streaks of blood in your urine, or the blood might turn your urine brown - however, this might not always be noticeable and it can come and go.

Less common signs of bladder cancer include:

The need to urinate more frequently than usualSudden need to peeA burning sensation when passing urine