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Water Filter Pitcher For PFAS
By April
Hiker, dog lover, & water quality enthusiast.
What are PFAS? Ok, take a seat and get ready to be a little overwhelmed. PFAS stands for a group of substances called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl. This group contains several categories of durable chemicals and materials with properties of water and oil that include temperature, chemical and fire resistance, as well as electrical insulation. See, we told you. It is a little bit overwhelming. PFAS substances have well-known applications like carpet protectant and non-stick cookware; PFAS are also used in surgical gowns and drapes in hospitals. PFAS were first discovered and manufactured in the 1940’s but it wasn’t until the 1950s, when 3M began manufacturing PFOAs and PFOSs, two types of PFAS, for product applications that featured PFAS' ability to repel water, protect surfaces, and resist heat.
Now PFAS, a class of more than 4,000 different chemicals, is everywhere in our society and even in our drinking water. It turns up in everything from household items, surgical gowns and even fast food wrappers. Now it has even been found in blood from people around the United States.
Dark Waters
In 1998, Wilbur Earl Tennant, a farmer in Parkersburg, West Virginia, lost more than a hundred head of cattle due to a mysterious cause of death. He suspected the nearby DuPont plant was somehow poisoning the area’s land and rivers. A lawsuit against the company settled in 2017 revealed that DuPont was dumping PFOA, the type of PFAS used in non-stick cookware and rainproof coats, into a dump near Wilbur Tennant’s farm. The lawsuit prompted a 2018 report by the Center for Disease Controls that showed the EPA overestimated the amount of PFAS chemicals people could safely consume. The study showed a link between 14 different types of PFAS chemicals and cancer, birth defects, thyroid disease, and liver damage. This story was later portrayed in the 2019 movie Dark Waters, which we highly recommend watching.
Do I have PFAS In My Water?
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to identify contaminants to regulate in drinking water to protect public health. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations include enforceable maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). Unfortunately, there is no MCL for any PFAS chemicals. However, the EPA has established a non-enforceable health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS. The keyword is “non-enforceable” because large corporations have great lobbyists. The best way to find out if you actually have PFAS in your water is to have it tested by a 3rd party lab. To search online for EPA Certified Labs for drinking water testing, go to EPA’s website. The other way (and less reliable) is to visit ewg.org’s tap water database and see if PFAS has been detected in your water (this way is free by the way). Visit ewg's tap water database here.
Do Water Filter Pitchers Remove PFAS?
Many water treatment technologies have been independently tested to show that they are capable of removing PFAS from drinking water in your home including activated carbon block filters. The combination of a thick carbon block filter and the amount of time the water takes to make its way through the filter has shown to remove or reduce PFAS in water. This is why if you are looking for a Water Filter Pitcher for PFAS removal, you should start with one that uses a carbon block.
Activated carbon treatment is the most studied treatment for PFAS removal and the method we use at Epic Water Filters. Activated carbon block filters are commonly used to adsorb natural organic compounds, taste and odor compounds, and synthetic organic chemicals found in today’s tap water. Adsorption is both the physical and chemical process of accumulating PFAS at the interface between liquid and solids phases. Activated carbon blocks are an effective adsorbent because they are a highly porous material and provide a large surface area to which contaminants may adsorb. Activated carbon blocks have been shown to be superior in contaminant removal compared to Granular Activated Carbon filters (GAC filters). See Carbon Block Filters vs GAC Filters for more information.
Water Filter Pitcher PFAS Testing:
PFOA Removal Levels:
Epic Pure Water Filter Pitcher >99.6%
Epic Nano Water Filter Pitcher >99.6%
PFOS Removal Levels:
Epic Pure Water Filter Pitcher >99.6%
Epic Nano Water Filter Pitcher >99.6%
Additional Water Filter PFAS Testing:
Epic Smart Shield Under Sink Filter 95%
Epic Urban Water Bottle Filter >98%
Epic Outdoor Adventure Water Bottle Filter >99.6%
Epic Universal Refrigerator Filter >99%
