Rainwater across the globe has been found to be too polluted for humans to safely drink, a study has claimed.

Metro reported that researchers found significant levels of toxic ‘forever’ chemicals in rainwater collected around the planet.

Exposure to high levels of these manmade ‘per-‘ and ‘polyfluoroalkyl substances’ (PFAS) has been linked to health problems including fertility issues, higher cholestoral levels and certain types of cancer.

The chemicals, which have been used in packaging and cosmetics, get their nickname from the fact they break down incredibly slowly in the environment.

In the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau, researchers found PFAS at 14 times higher than the level the US Environmental Protection Agency considers safe.

North Wales Pioneer: PFAS levels in rainwater around the globe are too high according to researchers (Canva)PFAS levels in rainwater around the globe are too high according to researchers (Canva) (Image: Canva)

Ian Cousins, a professor at Stockholm University and the lead author of the study published in Environmental Science and Technology, discussed the topic.

He said: "There is nowhere on Earth where the rain would be safe to drink, according to the measurements that we have taken.

"We have made the planet inhospitable to human life by irreversibly contaminating it now so that nothing is clean anymore. And to the point that's it's not clean enough to be safe."

However, levels of PFAS in humans has actually dropped in the last 20 years and Cousins clarified that the "ambient levels" of PFAS in the environment had stayed around similar levels in the same time period.

Cousins added: "What's changed is the guidelines. They've gone down millions of times since the early 2000s, because we've learned more about the toxicity of these substances.

"I'm not super concerned about the everyday exposure in mountain or stream water or in the food. We can't escape it... we're just going to have to live with it."

"But it's not a great situation to be in, where we've contaminated the environment to the point where background exposure is not really safe."