Rain isn’t new, but what’s in it is changing

Rain is nothing new, dating back about four billion years, but it’s changing. While acid rain is largely a thing of the past, microplastics and the chemical category known as PFAs are modifying what’s falling on our heads.

That’s the conclusion of a Vox feature that has gathered together years of studies to lay out why you should not drink rain.

Cars kick up bits of plastic from highways which latch onto falling droplets, while unclean oceans send microplastics skywards when their waves hit land.

As for PFAs, a common way they enter the water supply is through fire-fighting foams that use “forever chemicals” to deprive flames of oxygen – at the expense of nearby soil and water channels.

Treatment facilities can get rid of some microplastics and PFAs but not all of them, leaving tap water vulnerable to substances that are absorbed into the bloodstream and have been linked to cancer, kidney diseases and other illnesses.