Thank you for being willing to visit the ElegantEssences.com blog, which is a place to share information about everything that is important to us. Here we present an article entitled “Consuming Rainwater, Safe or Not?" May it be useful for all of us.
 |
| Photo Source: Flickr/ Mike Maguire |
In the current dry season, some regions in Indonesia begin to experience drought and problems with clean water supply. In fact, there are those who walk long distances just to get water for daily consumption. It's just that, a question arises, if we collect rainwater for consumption when we are experiencing drought, is this okay to do?
Impact of consuming rainwater
Researchers from Monash
University, Melbourne, Australia conducted a study to find out how the
impact of using rainwater for daily needs. This study was conducted by
monitoring around 300 households that use rainwater collected as a source of
daily drinking water.
The result of research conducted
for more than a year is the risk of developing
gastroenteritis and stomach flu
problems which are usually triggered by viruses or bacteria in people who
consume rainwater tend to be no different compared to people who use quality
tap water as a source of drinking water. The researchers also concluded that
rainwater is actually safe for daily consumption.
Does this mean rainwater is safe for consumption?
Researchers say rainwater has an
acidity level that is still safe for the body, which is at pH 5.6. This figure
can be considered as neutral and does not have a bad effect on the health of
the body. It's just that rainwater is not always clean.
Like raw water in general, we can
find bacteria, dust, dirt, and other sources of disease. In addition, in many
cases rainwater also has pollution, mold, and various other contaminants
although often the levels tend to be low.
We can collect rainwater in
containers such as tubs or buckets. If this water is to be consumed as drinking
water, make sure that these containers are in a clean condition, rather than
filled with dirt.
Before processing it, make sure
to let this rainwater for an hour to make heavy particles settle to the bottom
of the reservoir. It can also help prevent the development of microorganisms.
In order to make rainwater safer
for consumption, we must filter it or boil it first. We can use homemade water
filters or use special filters that can make rainwater free of bacteria, dirt,
dust, mold, chemicals, and various other contaminants. It's just that, you
should still boil rainwater to kill various kinds of bacteria and make us
calmer to drink it.
There is rainwater that is not safe for
consumption
Health experts say there is
rainwater that turns out to be unsafe for consumption. Here are the types of
rainwater.
1.
Rainwater in
industrial areas or factories
If in the environment where we
live many factories or industrial areas, then the problem of air pollution is
usually quite severe. This will affect the process of rain formation in the
sky. Rainwater in this region is feared to be high in chemicals, pollutants,
and harmful chemicals that are not suitable for consumption.
2.
Stagnant water in
dirty places
Rainwater that is stagnant in
dirty places such as on the streets, plant pots, or other places has been mixed
with various kinds of dirt and other things that make it no longer suitable for
consumption.
3.
Water storage
containers are no longer suitable
If we do not take good care of
the water storage container, then the collected rainwater is actually mixed
with various unhealthy impurities and contaminants.
Post a Comment for "Consuming Rainwater, Safe or Not?"