Is it safe to drink rainwater

Rainwater is used for drinking, household, and livelihood purposes in many parts of Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the most water-scarce nations on the planet. Rainwater can be a concern for drinking. Can be contaminated with dust, ash, or heavy metals from roofing materials. The presence of chemicals such as perfluoroalkyl or poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” is another concern. According to Ian Cousins, an environmental scientist, and his team, these chemicals are a danger for the use of rainwater in domestic applications.

What are PFASs, and why should you be concerned?

The PFAS group is a collection of synthetic chemicals that are often referred to as “forever chemical” substances because they do not degrade in the environment.

You can find them everywhere: in the air, in soil, and water, as well as among animals, plants, and people. On the highest mountains, deepest oceans, and both poles, they can be found. A study found that PFAS was present in rainwater from the Tibetan Plateau down to Antarctica. It also noted that recent health advisories stated rainwater could be unsafe to drink everywhere.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are over 12,000 chemicals currently in use. Since the Second World War, they have been used in large quantities for a variety of commercial and industrial applications. Some of the most well-known applications include non-stick cookware and firefighting foams. They are also used in paper and board to wrap food and keep it contained. The list is too long to have all the uses.

Four chemicals have good information about their health effects and human exposure pathways. They are: PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), PFHxS (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid) and PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid).

These four chemicals have been linked to serious harm to human health at high levels of exposure. This includes different types of cancer, infertility, pregnancy complications, ulcerative colitis, and liver hypertrophy.

Recent extremely low drinking water advisories were prompted by observations that exposure to this chemical can lead to decreased vaccination effectiveness among children.

PFAS have been used for a very long time. Intensive research into PFAS began just about 20 years back. Since then, we have gained a vast amount of knowledge about toxicity. In light of this new knowledge, the level of human exposure has been set lower.

The levels of PFAS in health advisories on foods and water are now at a level that is difficult to reach. The advisory values are higher or equal to the level of PFAS in the environment.

In our recently published study, we found that the levels of PFAS present in rainwater are now higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, even in remote regions.

In recent years, the levels of four PFAS have not increased in rainwater or other environmental media. In recent years, many countries have stopped using and emitting these “legacy” PFAS. Their stability, however, means they will stay in the environment for an indefinite period.

Since the first measurements in early 2000, the levels for the four PFAS have been stable. This means that their stories are above the latest drinking water advisory since then.

It is unlikely that the situation will improve anytime soon. PFAS are not degraded in the environment. Slow dilution in the deep ocean is their only way to remove them from settings that produce food. It may take many decades for rainwater levels to drop below levels recommended by health officials. The exact recovery period is unknown.

What are the most common exposures?

Humans are exposed to the four PFAS that have been studied through food, household dust, and drinking water. The environment is the main source of contamination in food and drinking water.

Human exposure to PFAS varies enormously. Thousands of PFAS are not studied or monitored, so we don’t know anything about their toxicities or exposure levels.

There are methods to remove it from water. However, it is unclear if levels can be reduced below the current health advisory.

There is no way to remove food PFAS from food. It is, therefore, not possible to avoid all exposure to low levels of PFAS. People will have to accept it.