Drinking rainwater: a double-blinded, randomized controlled study of water treatment filters and gastroenteritis incidence.
OBJECTIVE
We examined whether drinking untreated rainwater, a practice that is on the rise in developed countries because of water shortages, contributes to community gastroenteritis incidence.


METHODS
We conducted a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial in Adelaide, Australia. Sham or active water treatment units were installed, and participants recorded incidences of illness in a health diary for 12 months. The primary outcome was highly credible gastroenteritis (HCG; characterized by a specified number of loose stools or vomiting alone or in combination with abdominal pain or nausea in a 24-hour period), and we used generalized estimating equations to account for correlations between numbers of HCG events for individuals in the same family.


RESULTS
Participants reported 769 episodes during the study (0.77 episodes/person/year), with an HCG incidence rate ratio (active vs sham) of 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.82, 1.33). Blinding of the participants was effective (index = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.58, 0.72).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that consumption of untreated rainwater does not contribute appreciably to community gastroenteritis. However, our findings may not be generalizable to susceptible and immunocompromised persons because these groups were specifically excluded from the study.
Rodrigo
Shelly
S
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Sinclair
Martha
M
Forbes
Andrew
A
Cunliffe
David
D
Leder
Karin
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011891:Rain; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult