Is it safe to drink rainwater or not? The short answer has always been: sometimes. However, a study by Australia-based Monash University has found that drinking rainwater is safe.The study
In the first research of this kind, the study was carried out by the university researchers in the Australian city of Adelaide with help from the Australian Water Quality Research department. Adelaide was chosen for the study as it has one of the highest use of rainwater tanks in Australia.
The study involved three hundred volunteer households who were given a filter to treat their rainwater. While half of the filters that were given to the volunteer household were original, the rest of the filters were fake. They just looked the same but only that it was dysfunctional.
The information was withheld from the householders. They did not know whether they had a real filter or not. Over the next 12-month period, the families recorded their health status. After the stipulated time frame their health outcomes were compared.
Researchers found that volunteers who drank untreated rainwater displayed no measurable increase in illness when compared to those who consumed the filtered rainwater.
The result
This study confirms that drinking rainwater carries a low risk of illness. The results may not be applicable in all situations; nevertheless, these findings of the low risk of illness from drinking rainwater certainly imply that it can be used for activities such as bathing where accidental ingestion of small quantities may occur. Expanded use of rainwater for many household purposes can be considered in times of drought.
Making Rain Water Safer
Two key steps you can take to improve the quality of rainwater are to boil it and filter it. Boiling the water will kill off pathogens. Filtration will remove chemicals and other contaminants.
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