Can we drink Rain water ?

Question

I like to play in rain. When I stand with having my face upwards, rain water enters in my mouth. Do the rain water have any side effects ? Can we drink it ?

Answer 1

Rainwater can be used to cook, drink, grow crops, clean and even take a bath. Collecting and using Rainwater is a good way of using and conserving resources.

Is it safe to drink the rain water directly from the sky ?

The simple answer to this is, Yes. There have been a lot of mixed reactions on the safety of drinking rain water and the fact is that not all rain water is safe for drinking. There are several factors that can make rain water unsafe to drink and these include both environmental and physical factors.

These factors include :

1. Contaminants - As much as rain water may be safe to drink, it can be easily contaminated with metals and other chemicals during the collection process. Rain water collected in barrels is also not safe for drinking because these barrels do not have a disinfectant system of filtration system.

2. Bacteria and Viruses - Rain water collected in barrels could also get contaminated with parasites and bacteria such as E.Coli that could cause serious digestive issues and viruses especially in highly polluted areas and this could be as health hazard when consumed.

3. Metals and other roofing materials - Some materials that are used in roofing and gutters such as asbestos, copper and lead cause serious health complications when digested. This makes the water collected from the top of roofs unsafe to drink.