High levels of uranium are occurring in well water along a southern Greenville County road and residents there say they're worried it's making them sick.

State health officials are investigating and have told residents along Jenkins Bridge Road not to drink their tap water until they get some test results back.

Lorie Barbey, who lives on the road is between Simpsonville and Fountain Inn, says that when one of her neighbors developed a benign brain tumor, a test turned up unusually high levels of the radioactive element in her body. The search for a source led to the kitchen tap.

Health guidelines say that more than 30 micrograms of uranium per liter of water is cause for concern. Barbey told WYFF News 4's Beth Brotherton that a test of her well water turned up more than 50 times that amount.

"We got on the Internet and started looking at what it can do to you," Barbey told News 4. "It can cause cancer and kidney failure. I was worried because I have a lot of cancer in my family."

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control says that high levels of uranium can cause cancer, but he says it's unlikely in this case.

"The potential danger if you drink two liters a day for 70 years can be an increased risk for some types of cancer," DHEC Spokesman Thom Berry told News 4.

Still DHEC plans to test water from other wells in the area on Wednesday.

Berry said that the high levels of uranium likely occurred from natural deposits of the material in the ground.

It's ground that yields otherwise excellent well water.

Barbey says that before the test results came back, she drank eight or so glasses of it a day.

"It tastes great. We have the best tasting water you can find," she said.