PFAS are known to have a number of dangerous health effects, so we don’t blame you if you’re looking for a way to filter these harmful chemicals out of your water.
In this guide, we’ve answered the common question: “Does the Zero Water filter remove PFAS?”
Table of Contents
🚱 How Do PFAS Get Into Drinking Water?
PFAS chemicals are less commonly nowadays used since a voluntary agreement among PFAS manufacturers and the FDA to phase out the production of such chemicals by 2024. Unfortunately, though, these dangerous chemicals are still widely present in the environment due to their “forever chemical” status – meaning it takes decades for them to break down. Plus, there’s nothing stopping PFAS chemicals from being imported into the country.
Most PFAS are released into the environment as a result of air emissions from production facilities that use forever chemicals, industrial water waste, and runoff from firefighting foams . They enter our drinking water supplies when they seep through soils or are carried into surface waters due to surface runoff.
When public drinking water supplies are treated by municipalities, these treatments are usually incapable of removing or eliminating PFAS, which is how we end up drinking these synthetic chemicals in our tap water.
🩺 What Are the Potential Health Risks of PFAS?
According to recent research, some of the potential health risks of PFAS in water are:
- Liver and kidney disease
- Cancer
- Altered immune function
- Thyroid effects
- Lipid and insulin dysregulation
- Adverse reproductive effects
- Developmental issues
This data is reflective of research into the most common types of PFAS, but the reality is that there are hundreds of PFAS chemicals with possible human health effects that lack toxicity data. So there’s a lot that we still don’t know about PFAS and their possible health effects – but what we know so far isn’t exactly good news.
🧪 How Can I Test for PFAS in My Water?
If you’re looking for comprehensive results, we recommend using a private testing package from a laboratory to test for PFAS in your water.
A lab test will tell you exactly which types of PFAS your tap water contains, and how much PFAS is present.
Laboratory testing for PFAS chemicals will usually set you back around $300, but you’ll struggle to find any DIY test kits that accurately test for these contaminants.
🤔 So, Does Zero Water Filter Out PFAS?
Yes, the Zero Water filter can reduce PFAS in drinking water. In fact, ZeroWater filters are NSF certified to reduce PFAS – the best industry-backed assurance that the filters can effectively reduce PFAS chemicals.
Zero Water’s water filter performance data sheet is a bit vague about the filter’s PFAS removal, but we checked the “Ask A Question” section on one of the pitcher product listings and found that Zero Water had responded to a few people asking about PFAS removal, saying that its filters could reduce PFAS up to 94.9%.
So, while Zero Water filters can’t eliminate PFAS – something that’s difficult for any water filter pitcher to do – they can at least reduce these chemicals down to around 5%.
🧾 List Of PFAS Removed By Zero Water Pitcher
There are two PFAS chemicals that Zero Water has been tested and certified to remove:
- PFOS
- PFOA
These are two of the most well-known and widely used chemicals, so it makes sense that the Zero Water filtered water pitcher can remove them. However, there are tens of other PFAS that exist in the environment today, including PFBA, PFBS, PFNA, NFBS, GenX, and so many more.
We’d love for ZeroWater to get its pitcher filters tested for their ability to remove these other chemicals, because really, it’s a bit misleading to say that your filters offer PFAS reduction if you’ve only tested their ability to reduce two of tens of chemicals.
| PFAS Type | % Reduction |
|---|---|
| Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) | 94.9% |
| Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) | 94.9% |
🔎 How Do Zero Water Filters Remove PFAS?
The ZeroWater water filter pitcher uses an ion exchange resin, which uses five stages of filtration to reduce virtually all total dissolved solids (TDS).
Ion exchange has been called an “efficient technology” for the removal of PFAS – especially the removal of short-chain PFAS that can’t be removed by carbon adsorption.
Included in the filter blend is an activated carbon media, which works effectively alongside the ion exchange resin to reduce PFAS chemicals.
🚰 Other PFAS Water Filters
There are a few other private drinking water filtration systems that can reduce or remove forever chemicals in a tap water supply, including:
- Reverse osmosis systems – Remove around 90-95% of PFAS
- Other pitcher filter models using carbon or ion exchange filtration – Remove 80-98% PFAS
- Water distillation – Removes up to 99% of forever chemicals
If you like the convenience and affordability of water filter pitchers but you’re not sure about ZeroWater’s filtration technology, take a look at the Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher Filter.
This pitcher reduces up to 99.4% of a variety of forever chemicals, including GenX, EPFB, NFBS, PFBS, PFBA, PFOA, and PFOS, according to test results shared online.
❔ FAQ
Does ZeroWater remove PFOA and PFOS?
Yes, the Zero Water filter has been tested and certified by the NSF to reduce PFOS and PFOA in drinking water. The brand’s test results don’t give percentages for PFOS and PFOA removal, but we found the response from the seller on a pitcher product page saying that the filters can reduce these chemicals down to 94.9%.
Are ZeroWater filters tested to remove PFAS?
Yes, ZeroWater filters are tested by a “quality filter testing laboratory” (according to the manufacturer) for contaminant removal. The ZeroWater filters are also NSF tested and certified for PFAS removal, which is about as reassuring as it gets.
Is ZeroWater NSF certified to reduce PFAS?
Yes, ZeroWater pitchers have an official NSF certification to reduce two well-known types of PFAS: PFOS and PFOA. We don’t know whether the pitchers remove any other types of PFAS because this information hasn’t been shared online.
Does ZeroWater filter out forever chemicals?
Yes, ZeroWater filters up to 94.9% of forever chemicals out of tap water, according to the manufacturer’s test results. If you’re concerned about PFAS contamination in your water, you can use the Zero Water pitcher to address at least two of the most common forever chemicals.
