How to Get PFAS Out of Your Drinking Water
Find out whether dangerous ‘forever chemicals' are in your water, and if they are, which filters can remove them
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News of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and their health risks keep spilling into mainstream America. Reports of multibillion-dollar settlements by alleged polluters, local tap water crises and—most significantly—a move toward stricter government regulation have elevated public awareness.
Used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foams, and even cosmetics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances include more than 14,000 chemicals that persist in the environment—and the human body—for a very long time. It’s nearly impossible to escape them: PFAS are so pervasive that they can be detected today in the air, water, soil, and human bloodstreams worldwide. They’ve been implicated in health concerns including cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, fertility problems, and immune system disorders, as well as increased cholesterol levels, obesity, and hormonal disorders.
At least 45 percent of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have some type of PFAS, according to a study by the United States Geological Survey. That means nearly half of us might be consuming PFAS through our drinking water every day.
How to Find Out if There Are PFAS in Your Water
The good news is that under a new EPA rule, finding out if your drinking water contains PFAS will be easier than ever before. It requires public drinking water systems nationwide to test their water for several PFAS compounds and take action if levels of those chemicals rise above prescribed limits. The EPA estimates that between 6 and 10 percent of the 66,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. will find PFAS once they start testing. Utilities have five years to comply with the new rule.
Can a Water Filter Remove PFAS?
If your water test report indicates the presence of PFAS, or if you just want some peace of mind, a home water filter can be worth considering.
Most water filters CR tests are designed to improve taste and reduce odors (two of the biggest consumer complaints) by removing common contaminants in tap water. Many also claim to reduce contaminants of concern, such as lead and PFAS.
The only way to be sure a water filter will reduce these contaminants, however, is to make sure it is certified to remove them. This means the product is independently tested and found to comply with an accepted standard specific to that contaminant. Certified products are monitored and subject to follow-up testing by the certifying agency to ensure that the product the consumer purchases will perform the same as the product that was tested.
“To remove a specific contaminant like PFAS from drinking water, consumers should choose a water filtration device that is independently certified to remove that contaminant by a recognized lab,” says Jim Nanni, associate director of appliance testing at CR.
Reputable third-party testing organizations include the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), Water Quality Association (WQA), International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), UL Solutions, CSA Group, and Intertek (ETL). NSF, WQA, and IAPMO enable you to search for certified products on their websites. Certified products will also bear a seal from the testing organization that identifies which contaminants it’s certified to reduce. For a filter that can remove PFAS, look for one with the code NSF/ANSI 53 (or NSF/ANSI 58 for reverse osmosis systems), followed by the manufacturer’s claim that the product can remove PFAS.
In our ratings, CR indicates which water filters are certified for reduction of lead, chlorine, and PFAS. Be wary of filters that make bold claims without evidence of certification, Nanni says.
“Some products may make unsubstantiated claims,” Nanni says. “Some may even show a test report that suggests it supports their claim. But was that a legitimate test, from a legitimate lab, of an actual sample of the product? And even if it was, that report is a one-time occurrence—not the continual monitoring that would occur if a product was certified.”
Water Filters That Remove PFAS
CR has identified the following water filters from our water filter performance ratings as certified for reduction of certain PFAS. They include four under-sink models, two of which were independently tested for PFOA and PFOS removal by CR several years ago as part of a national investigation on tap water safety. The Brondell Coral UC300 Three Stage and Aquasana AQ-5200 passed our testing and are also currently certified for reduction of PFAs, in addition to chlorine and lead.
Only one countertop filter, one faucet-mounted filter, and one water pitcher filter in our ratings are certified to reduce PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) in drinking water. (Reduction of PFOA and PFOS are indicators of total PFAS reduction.) For more details on these and other filters, including which filters reduce chlorine or lead, see our water filter ratings, and consult our water filter buying guide for general advice.
Countertop Water Filters
The Amway eSpring uses ultraviolet light in addition to carbon purification to purify your water. At $1,200, this countertop filter is by far the priciest in our ratings. Cartridge replacement, at $259 per year, isn’t cheap either. But it’s NSF-certified to remove PFOA, PFOS, lead, and other contaminants, including asbestos, mercury, radon, and VOCs. Its UV light is designed to eliminate bacteria and viruses. It aces our tests with very good flavor and odor reduction and excellent flow, and its cartridge won’t clog on you during its 1,320-gallon life span (a filter end-of-life indicator will let you know when time’s up). Bigger than an Amazon Echo, it does eat up counter space (it’s the largest model in our ratings). If clean water is priceless to you, this might be your water filter.
Faucet-Mounted Water Filters
The highly rated ZeroWater Extremelife is the most expensive faucet-mounted water filter in our ratings, but it still costs less than five cases of bottled water from the supermarket. Our tests found it improves taste and odor, and it’s certified to reduce chlorine and PFAS. (It’s the only faucet-mounted filter we tested that reduces these.) Its flow rate in our tests is very good, and it doesn’t clog up. It features a filter-life indicator, and its replacement cartridges, at $36 annually, are the least expensive to replace.
Under-Sink Filters
Our second-highest rated under-sink filter, the 12-inch-deep Brondell Coral UC300 Three Stage also nabs CR’s highest score for improving flavor, reducing odor, and resistance to clogs, and it performs almost as well as the ratings leader in our flow-rate test. It’s certified by WQA to the NSF standard for removing PFOA and PFOS, lead and chlorine. It processes up to 600 gallons of water per filter swap (using a bank of three cartridges, including a sediment filter, a pre-carbon filter, and a carbon block filter). An end-of-life indicator alerts you to the need for cartridge replacement, which runs about $75 per year.
The Aquasana AQ-5200 is certified to reduce PFOA, PFOS, lead, and chlorine, according to the NSF standard. It also scores comparably to the top four under-sink filters in our ratings for improving taste and reducing odor. But it’s not the fastest filter out there: In our tests, it took longer than other under-sink models to filter a quart of water. That said, it didn’t clog on us and it’s capable of filtering 500 gallons before the cartridge has to be replaced. A filter life indicator reveals when you’ll need a replacement, which will cost you about $120 a year. The Aquasana AQ-4000, a convenient faucet-mounted filter, is also certified to reduce PFOA and PFOS—up to 450 gallons of water before a filter change.
Like the Brondell, this Culligan under-sink water filter reduces lead, chlorine, and PFAS while improving taste and smell. While it doesn’t filter water as quickly as our top-rated under-sink filter (the Multipure Aquaversa MP750, which doesn’t remove PFAS), it does filter as quickly as the Brondell and is priced significantly lower. Cartridges, which cost about $98 a year to replace, are also relatively economical for the category. And this filter has an end-of-life indicator to tell you when it’s time for a replacement.
Water Pitcher Filters
The ZeroWater Ready-Pour ZD-010RP is a capable water filter pitcher. It’s the only model in our ratings’ top five to be NSF-certified for reduction of lead, chlorine, PFOS, and PFOA. It’s also very good at improving water flavor and reducing odor. We found this versatile pitcher to be resistant to clogs, meaning it will flow consistently over time. You’ll pay for that effectiveness with a relatively pricey filter replacement cost of $78 per year. But it’s hard to ask for more from a water filter pitcher whose initial investment is less than $35.
