"There is nowhere on Earth where rainwater would be safe to drink": this is what Ian Cousins, professor at the University of Stockholm and main author of a study published in the journal

Environmental Science and Technology

.

According to researchers, rainwater is unsafe to drink because of the presence of toxic chemicals that exceed recommended levels.

To reach this conclusion, Ian Cousins' team studied data compiled since 2010 and showed that "even in Antarctica or on the Tibetan plateau, the levels present in rainwater are above the proposed recommendations of the 'United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'.

Normally considered untouched, both regions have PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl) levels “14 times higher” than US drinking water guidelines.

Dangerous chemicals

More commonly known as "eternal chemicals" because they disintegrate extremely slowly, PFAS, initially present in packaging, shampoos or even make-up, have spread into our environment, including water and 'air.

Once ingested, PFAS accumulate in the body.

According to some studies, exposure to PFAS can have effects on fertility and fetal development.

It can also lead to increased risks of obesity or certain cancers (prostate, kidneys and testicles) and an increase in cholesterol levels.

In addition, the US Environmental Protection Agency recently lowered the recommended PFAS threshold after discovering that these chemicals could have an impact on the immune response to vaccines in children, notes Ian Cousins.

“We have made the planet inhospitable”

According to the scientist, PFAS are now “so persistent” and ubiquitous that they will never disappear from Earth.

“We have made the planet inhospitable to human life by contaminating it irreversibly, which means that nothing is clean anymore.

And to the point that it's not clean enough to be sure, ”says Ian Cousins.

"We have exceeded a planetary limit," he adds, referring to a model to assess the Earth's ability to absorb the impact of human activity.

The researcher notes, however, that the levels of PFAS in the body of human beings have decreased "quite significantly over the last twenty years" and that "the ambient level [of PFAS in the environment] has remained the same for the last twenty years ".

"It's the recommendations that have changed," he says, explaining that the recommended level of PFAS has been lowered "millions of times since the early 2000s, because we know more about the toxicity. of these substances.

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