Water properties in four fountains recently discovered in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region may help in the battle against cancer.

The fountains, in Nilka county, were found to contain deuterium-depleted water (DDW). Scientific tests showed that levels of deuterium, often referred to as heavy hydrogen, may be among the lowest in the world. However, it is the low levels of deuterium that make it so valued in the fight against cancer, the local Morning Post reported on Friday.

Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, has various uses, including weaponry and biological tracing. Natural DDW is usually found in high-altitude glacial regions.

It has properties that are helpful for cancer patients in recovery after chemotherapy and may ease symptoms, according to Wang Hai, the director of the Water Examination Center of the Professional Association of Mineral Water, China Mining Association.

At an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, in Bulong Canyon, the fountains were discovered by local herdsmen. The water was used to clean wounds on horses from saddle friction.

Two of the four fountains have an average deuterium concentration level of 93 ppm (parts per million) after an examination of 3,100 samples. The natural average is about 150 ppm.

DDW is used in the medical field as a supplementary product, according to Guo Yuchuan, a teacher at the College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University and products containing it are sold in a number of countries, including the US, Russia and Hungary.