New study reveals drinking rain water is unsafe

A recent study conducted by Stockholm University scientists revealed that drinking rainwater is highly harmful due to levels of toxic compounds also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl) surpassing the guidelines. The chemicals are forever chemicals. This is because they disintegrate extremely slowly. The study was published in Environmental Science and Technology.

PFAS were first discovered in shampoos and cosmetics but have now spread to the entire environment, including air and water.

In conversation with AFP, Ian Cousins said, "There is nowhere on Earth where the rain would be safe to drink, according to the measurements that we have taken." He further said, "even in Antarctica or the Tibetan plateau, the levels in the rainwater are above the drinking water guidelines that the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) proposed," as his team compiled data since 2010.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Studies have shown that exposure to PFAS can also affect fertility, retard infant development, increase the risk of obesity, and even raise cholesterol levels.

Cousins asserted that PFAS are extremely tenacious and pervasive and that they will never be eradicated from the planet. He said, "We have crossed a planetary boundary," he said, referring to a central paradigm for evaluating Earth's capacity to absorb the impact of human activity. He noticed that the ambient levels of PFAS in the environment have remained constant while in people they have dropped drastically over the previous 20 years.

Cousins advised that we have to learn to accept it and live with it as it is not going anywhere. He said, "What's changed is the guidelines. They've gone down millions of times since the early 2000s because we've learned more about the toxicity of these substances, " AFP reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.