(HealthDay News) -- While the exact cause of bladder cancer is unknown, certain habits and traits can raise a person's risk of contracting it.

Here are common risk factors for bladder cancer, courtesy of the American Cancer Society:

• Smokers get bladder cancer about twice as often as those who don't light up.
• People who work with certain chemicals -- including those used to produce dyes, printing inks, and paints -- may be at higher risk.
• Whites are twice as likely to contract bladder cancer as blacks or Hispanics. The risk of bladder cancer also rises with age.
• Chronic bladder illnesses, including kidney stones and bladder infections.
• Personal or family history of bladder cancer.
• Birth defects of the bladder.