Is rainwater safe to drink?

For the most part, rainwater is safe to consume. However, since rainwater gathers impurities in the atmosphere as it falls, people should not drink rainwater near radioactive sites, chemical plants, paper mills or other similar potentially harmful environments. Rainwater also should not be consumed from puddles.

Much of the world's population uses rainwater for its source of drinking water. The amounts of impurities in rainwater, such as pollen, mold and pollution, may actually be less than contaminant levels in some public drinking water. Boiling rainwater and then filtering it are steps that can be taken to make rainwater safer to drink.