Get your well water tested annually and install appropriate filters.

Think before you drink: Are you sure your water's safe?

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Living out in the country may keep you away from traffic and smog. But new research implies that in some rural areas, pollutants in local water could be causing cancer in residents. A study unveiled at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association found a higher instance of bladder cancer among people who relied on water from wells. The research suggests that contamination by pesticides from nearby farms is to blame.

THE DETAILS: Researchers from the University of Alabama in Birmingham investigated three factors—whether a person smoked cigarettes, drank well water, or was exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays—to see if they impacted mortality rates and a person’s chances of developing bladder cancer. As expected and backed by previous research, cigarette smoking was found to be a risk factor in developing bladder cancer, while exposure to sunlight had a protective effect (possibly because it stimulates the body to produce vitamin D). Drinking well water was linked to higher mortality rates among both men and women and also was found to raise bladder cancer risk in women. "Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor associated with bladder cancer, but sources such as the patient’s water supply are coming to light as potential unmonitored risk factors," says J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, an American Urological Association spokesman.

WHAT IT MEANS: Evidence linking pesticides to all sorts of health problems is mounting. Farm and lawn chemicals have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, birth defects and behavior problems, miscarriages, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other ailments. People who rely on well water in rural farming areas may be particularly at risk because of all the chemicals used in nonorganic agriculture. The good news, however, is that even tainted wells can be made safe.

Here’s how to protect your water and your body from harmful chemicals.

• Test your well water. About 15 percent of the U.S. population depends on drinking water from wells, but many people never test their water. A U.S. Geological Survey study released last month found that 20 percent of household wells were contaminated, many of them with unsafe levels of pesticides and chemical fertilizers applied to farm fields and lawns. Have your well tested annually for contaminants, choosing a laboratory certified to test public water systems. The Environmental Protection Agency lists state agencies on its website that can hook you up with help you locate a trusted tester in your area. The National Ground Water Association can also help you detect contamination problems and correct them with filters or other means.

• Speak to your neighbors. Tell farmers in your area who use agrichemicals about the free information and online course available from the Rodale Institute that can help them convert from chemical to organic farming. Share the news with your neighbors, township supervisors, and other elected officials. And as always, use the power of your pocketbook. Ask for local, spray-free food produce free of agricultural chemicals at your farmer’s market to show growers that it’s worth their while to switch to safer farming methods.

• Try yogurt. On the food front, eating yogurt and other cultured milk products can lower your risk of developing bladder cancer by nearly 40 percent, according to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Loading up on veggies, particularly cruciferous ones such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, and collard greens, also can help to protect you from bladder cancer, according to 2008 research from the American Association for Cancer Research.