This being a very rainy summer here in Denmark, I was just wondering how safe is it to drink rain water in a country which gets alot of pollution from Eastern Europe?

I don't know the answer but I would probably filter it through a carbon filter to be safe.

Here's the opinion of several "experts":

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/wea00/wea00044.htm

Seems to me the bottom line is drink from the tap if you can but rainwater won't kill you.

From that article: "...rainwater contains pollutants, soil, plant parts, insect parts, bacteria, algae, and sometimes radioactive materials... "

And how is this different than well or municipal water???

Well and tap water aren't as great as you might think. Well water is often contaminated with agricultural chemicals, petroleum products, bacteria, nitrates and heaven knows what else. Very, very few people with wells actually pay for the comprehensive test ($150-200) to find out what is actually in their well water. Most, if they do any testing at all, pay $8 for the bacterial test and call it good. They have no idea as to the nitrates, nitrates, dioxins, horse pee, RoundUp, chemical fertilizers, oil and gasoline that's in it.

Muncipal water is usually treated with chlorine, which breaks down into dioxins, is frequently also treated with fluoride, an outright poison. If there's a dead elk crawling with maggots behind the dam, they just add more chlorine. Drink up!

So, where's the improvement?

Sue

Thanks for all of the help. I always carry a six liter MSR water bag, and have never needed to drink rain water. From what I read I think that your right about stiking to tap water.

Just a thought: some people seem reluctant to drink rain water because of all the airborne pollutants it passes through or collects as it falls.

If you're okay with breathing that stuff, what's wrong with drinking it???

The normal respiratory rate is 12-20 breaths per minute. That's 720-1200 per hour, or 17,280-28,800 per day. Every day.

I wonder if a person ingests more "debris" from breathing air or drinking rainwater?

Sue

I agree Sue, drinking it ought to be just fine (unless it's falling through a smog-filled calm day in New York or Los Angeles, or elsewhere). Even then, as you said, you're breathing it .....into the lungs and from there directly into the bloodstream.

My grandparents in Ohio kept large 55 gal drums at nearly every back corner of their house and garage. They had running county tap water, of course, but they used the runoff water for washing clothes, watering their (large!) garden, watering their animals, and other outside watering. My grandfather used to say that, if ever there was a problem with the tap water, they had plenty of fresh (rainwater) to drink. As kids, my cousins and I used to drink from those barrels just like most kids (me too) would drink from the garden hose. Admitedly, there wasn't as much pollution back then as now, but it was present even then.

I would think Denmark rainwater ought to be as good as any. As all should know, there is no pollution anywhere in Europe that is anywhere near as bad as U.S. pollution...right? (Where is Bentirran to confirm this for me?)

As Sue said earlier.....Drink Up!