On Monday, August 11, 2003, at 06:44  AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> I wouldn't drink the water from the roof/gutter/leader runoff, no
> matter what the materials were.

Lots of places drink rainwater collected from roofs.  Some places this
may be the only source...ie. Florida Keys and other places in the
Carribean.  Certainly clay tile roofs would be fine, assuming they are
not glazed, or at least not glazed with a lead based glaze.  I was once
skeptical of all the rain barrels found on historic sites, but it turns
out rain water is really good for washing, and in many places tastes a
whole lot better than the alternative.  Wells are no fun to dig, and
cricks and streams are best kept a fair distance from the house.
Standing water can be a problem.  But collecting rain water for use
makes good sense to me.  Still, not sure I'd want to drink from an old
tin or lead roof, and cedar and oak might taste funny...asphalt is just
plain uninviting...fibreglass should be fairly harmless and
tasteless...its just plastic...best keep the roof painted if its metal
and use clay if new.

(I think my prejudice for traditional materials is showing, again.)
>
-jc