Spanish researchers have warned that people who regularly swim in chlorinated water or take lots of showers or baths could increase the risk of developing bladder cancer.
They said carcinogenic chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs) are created as a by-product of chlorinating water and can be absorbed through the skin, reports the Daily Mail .
The researchers from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, examined 1,270 people and found that wealthy individuals who drank more bottled water - to avoid the health risks posed by drinking tap water - cancelled out any beneficial effect by swimming more and taking more showers.
"People with more money and more education may think that they`re reducing their risk of exposure to water contaminants by drinking bottled water," said Gemma Castaqo Vinyals.
"However, despite being apparently cleaner and taking more exercise, a result of taking more frequent and longer baths, and using swimming pools more often - they are actually increasing their risk of THM exposure," she added.
Moreover, Castaqo-Vinyals said that the additional risk of developing bladder cancer through the water contaminants was `small`.
The findings were reported in the online journal BioMed Central.
ANI