A recent study has found that rainwater is no longer safe to drink anywhere on Earth.
Researchers at Stockholm University and ETH Zurich University found that the water is unsafe due to the presence of forever chemicals, which have been found in remote places like Antarctica and on the Tibetan Plateau.
According to the study, the rainwater contains per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), human-made chemicals used in various consumer and industrial products.
Researchers said these chemicals don't break down in the environment.
“Based on the latest U.S. guidelines for PFOA in drinking water, rainwater everywhere would be judged unsafe to drink," said Ian Cousins, the study's lead author. "Although in the industrial world we don’t often drink rainwater, many people around the world expect it to be safe to drink and it supplies many of our drinking water sources."
The study was published last week in the journal "Environmental Science and Technology."
