Can PFAS Be Removed From Drinking Water? What Works

Can PFAS be removed from drinking water?

Yes. EPA names four technologies as the best available ways to meet its PFAS limits: granular activated carbon, anion exchange, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. Each one pulls PFAS out of the water, and each one leaves the PFAS somewhere else. A certified home filter can also reduce PFAS, if you maintain it.

The top results for this question are national and written for water utilities. This post is written for a St. Louis homeowner or building owner. It tells you what to do first, which filter types EPA lists, and what the filter cannot do.

Should I filter at all? Test first.

Find out whether you have PFAS before you buy anything. EPA’s home filter fact sheet says to contact your local water provider and ask which PFAS, if any, are in your drinking water. It adds that if PFAS have not been measured, or have been measured but are below federal limits, a filter may not be useful to you.

In the City of St. Louis, the Water Division says it has done periodic voluntary PFAS sampling since 2020 and takes part in EPA’s Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, which tests for 29 different PFAS. The Division says samples from both treatment plants in June 2024 showed all PFAS below detection limits. That result covers the City’s plants. It does not cover a private well, an old pipe in your building, or another provider’s system.

Private well owners have no utility doing the testing for them. A lab test is the only way to know. Our guide to PFAS testing for property owners explains what to ask a lab, and the PFAS testing page covers AES’s service. Words like PFOA and PFOS are in the glossary.

What technologies actually remove PFAS?

Four, according to EPA. The table shows how each works and the main catch EPA names.

EPA writes these for water systems, not households. It also says water systems may use any technology or practice to meet the limits and are not limited to these four. The same ideas power home filters. Its home filter fact sheet lists three filter types that can be effective at reducing PFAS: charcoal (granular activated carbon), reverse osmosis systems and ion exchange resins.

For more on each method, see the glossary pages for granular activated carbon and ion exchange, and our PFAS water treatment and PFAS treatment technologies pages.

What does a home filter cost, and what should it say on the box?

EPA says a filter can cost as little as $20 or more than $1,000, not including maintenance costs. Price depends on type and brand, and on whether the filter is a pitcher, a faucet unit or a whole-home system. Maintenance and disposal add cost.

Look for certification, not a marketing claim. EPA says to check the packaging for certification to NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58 for PFAS reduction. If you are unsure, check the certification body’s product directory. EPA’s fact sheet lists five accredited bodies: CSA Group, IAPMO R&T, NSF, UL and WQA.

Read the fine print. The April 2024 fact sheet says filter certifications focus on PFOA and PFOS. It also says the certification standards at that time did not yet show a filter would remove PFAS down to the levels EPA set in its drinking water standard. So a certified filter is a good step, but it is not proof that your water meets every limit. EPA’s treatment fact sheet also says it has not designated point of use or point of entry devices, meaning tap or whole-home units, as compliance options for water systems, because the rules call for levels below current certification standards. That is a rule for utilities. It does not stop you from using a filter at home.

For PFAS testing or treatment at a property, AES quotes each job; call (314) 865-2662 or use /contact.

Why does treating PFAS take a special filter?

PFAS are built to last, which is why people call them forever chemicals. EPA says they repel oil and water and resist heat. That is why common fixes fail. EPA’s home filter fact sheet says not all filters address PFAS, and it tells buyers to choose one certified to remove or reduce PFAS in drinking water.

The Minnesota Department of Health adds two warnings. It says “Boiling water will not remove PFAS.” It also says that other common water treatment systems, such as water softeners or iron filtration systems, are not likely to remove PFAS.

That is also why levels are measured in parts per trillion. A lab has to see very small amounts. A filter claim that sounds good on a box still needs a certification you can look up.

What happens after the filter is installed?

You have a maintenance job. EPA says filters are only effective if they are maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and that skipping replacement can increase exposure. Treat the replacement date like a smoke alarm battery.

Plan for the used filter too. EPA says today’s technologies separate PFAS from water and create PFAS-containing materials that must be managed. At utility scale, EPA says spent carbon can be landfilled, incinerated or reactivated. For a home cartridge, ask the maker about disposal.

What can a filter not do?

A filter cannot clean up a contaminated site. It treats water at one tap or one building. It does nothing for PFAS in soil, in groundwater under your property, or in a source that keeps feeding your well.

Commercial and industrial owners face a bigger question. If PFAS are in your water because of a release at a site, treatment at the tap is a stopgap. The source needs investigation and cleanup. That is the work on our PFAS remediation pages, and the PFAS drinking water page covers the water side.

What should I do this week?

Take these five steps in order.

1. Call your water provider. Ask which PFAS they have measured and when.
2. If you have a private well, order a lab test. Ask the lab which PFAS compounds it reports and at what detection limit.
3. Read the result against federal limits. Our explainer on the PFAS drinking water rule helps.
4. If you filter, buy certified. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 for PFAS reduction.
5. Write down the replacement date on the day you install it.

Next step

If you need PFAS testing or a plan for a property, start with the PFAS page. Then call Advanced Environmental Services at (314) 865-2662 or send the form at /contact. Glossary: PFAS.