Rain water is not safe to drink
Rain water everywhere on Earth is unsafe for drinking because it contains the toxic chemical PFAS at levels that exceed the recommended safety limit.
According to a new study by scientists at Stockholm University (Sweden), rain water everywhere on Earth is unsafe for drinking because it contains toxic chemicals that are difficult to decompose PFAS in water. level exceeds the recommended safety limit.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often referred to as ‘permanent chemicals’ because they break down incredibly slowly. This chemical was previously found in packaging, shampoo or makeup, but is now ubiquitous in the environment, including water and air.
In the study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, Professor Ian Cousins at Stockholm University, and study author, emphasizes that based on the parameters he and his colleagues measured, nowhere else There is a safe source of rain water on Earth that can be used for drinking. A panel of data conducted since 2010 shows that even in Antarctica or the Tibetan Plateau, PFAS levels in rain water are still 14 times higher than the safe recommended thresholds by the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency). EPA) of the US released.
According to some studies, once ingested or ingested, PFAS will accumulate in the body. Exposure to this chemical can even lead to fertility problems, slow growth in children, raise cholesterol levels, and increase the risk of obesity or certain diseases. certain types of cancer such as prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
Professor Cousins added that recently, the EPA lowered the recommended safe threshold for PFAS levels after discovering that the chemical can affect the immune response of young children to vaccination. Notably, the recommended safety thresholds have been adjusted down millions of times since the early 2000s as scientists become more aware of the toxicity of these substances.
In addition, Professor Cousins stressed that PFAS are ‘so persistent and pervasive that they will never disappear from the planet. Humans have destroyed their own habitat by polluting the Earth to the point of irreparability’. Even so, he argues that human levels of PFAS have indeed fallen ‘quite significantly over the past 20 years’ and that ‘ambient levels (of PFAS in the environment) are still comparable to levels recorded in 2 decades’
