Best Water Filter Pitcher For Lead Removal: Our Top Picks

More than 185 million Americans are exposed to lead in drinking water above recommended levels, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Brita Pitchers with the Elite or Longlast+ filter have the greatest lead reduction rate of any water filter pitcher at 99.5%. EpicWater filter pitchers and the Clearly-Filtered water filter pitcher have similarly high lead reduction rates of 99.4% and 99.3%, respectively.

This article explores water filter pitchers that can remove the most lead from your water. We also cover how to detect and test for lead in your home.

Lead In Our Water Supply

Lead is a contaminant rarely found naturally in water.

Lead in your drinking water usually comes from corroded pipes and plumbing fixtures. This is because of the lead alloys and lead solder used in pipes and fixtures, which leech into your drinking water.

The source of the lead contamination can even be from the municipal delivery system, service lines in buildings built before the 1980’s, or from household plumbing and fixtures including those on well water.

Private well owners can also have lead contaminated water from the lead in pump fixtures and packer elements used above the well water screen level. Increased lead concentrations in well water is also common if the water stays in the well for a longer period of time, and if the water is slightly acidic as this increases corrosion.

Water Filter Pitchers For Lead Removal

Water filters pitchers that have an activated carbon filter can remove more than 99% of lead from water. While those with ion exchange filters, or filters that have ion exchange resins are up to 90% effective.

There are several water filter pitchers advertised as ‘lead removing’, but only a handful of them provide lab test data to support that claim.

How Filter Pitchers Are Tested

Companies that make water filters pitchers can CHOOSE to get certified under the Standards for Water Treatment Systems (NSF). That’s right, obtaining NSF certification is not mandatory.

So, when shopping for filter pitchers that remove lead, make sure it has the NSF/ANSI 53 certification.

How the NSF/ANSI 53 test is run:

1. Filters used in water pitchers are tested with water containing 150 ppb lead (or 0.15 mg/L)
2. The maximum concentration of lead that can come out after filtration is 5 ppb (or 0.005 mg/L)
3. A FAILED test is when there is less than a 96.67% lead reduction rate.

This means if a water filter pitcher has NSF 53 certification it can remove more than 96.7% of the lead in your water.

Although you’ll see from the list below that several water filter pitchers can remove more than 99% of the lead.

Note: the maximum allowable amount of lead in filtered water was lowered in December 2020 from 10 ppb to 5 ppb (published here: NSF/ANSI 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units – Health Effects).

Best Filter Pitchers For Removing Lead

Below is a list of quality water filter pitchers that claim to remove lead. We’ve had a look at their lab test results to confirm the amount of lead each one removes.

These filter pitchers are certified by bodies like the NSF and WQA to reduce the lead quantity in water.

Note: The lifespan of all filter types (gallons or months) is dependent on the water quality of your home and how often you use it.

It’s important to remember that no amount of lead is safe in your drinking water.

Also, the NSF/ANSI 53 certification is based on NEW filters. If your filter is old, it’s likely the amount of lead being removed is less than the percentages stated above. It’s always best to replace your water filters regularly.

1. EpicWater Filter Pitchers

EpicWater filters are NSF/ANSI 53 certified. EpicWater make two types of 10-cup filter pitchers, the Epic Nano and the Epic Pure, both of which can remove lead.

The Epic Pure Water Filter Jug removes up to 99.99% of all water contaminants, including 99.4% lead reduction. Filters lasts around 3-4 months and are capable of purifying 150 gallons of water.

The Epic Nano Water filter Jug is certainly the next level up. The epic Nano removes 99.9999% of over 200+ tap water contaminants, including viruses, bacteria, and cysts. This makes it perfect for well water or those that use tank water. It also lasts 3-4 months and purifies around 150 gallons (565 L) of water.

2. Clearly-Filtered Water Filter Pitcher

The Clearly filtered pitcher offers a large 10- cup capacity and can remove more than 360 contaminants – more than any other water filter pitcher.

It combines ion exchange and activated carbon to remove contaminants and make your water taste and smell better. Some of the more dangerous contaminants that it removes are:

• Fluoride (>99.5%)
• PFAS (>95%)
• Microplastics (>99.9%)
• Heavy metals (including Arsenic (98.3%))
• Chlorine (>99.5%)
• Viruses (99.9999%)
• BPA (>99.9%) and phthalates (>99.8%)
• Herbicides (e.g. glyphosate (>99.9%))
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (97.9%)

3. Brita Water Pitcher with Longlast+ Filter

The Elite or Longlast+ filter is the only Brita filter model that offers lead reduction. In other words, you have to get a pitcher that can take the Elite/Longlast+ filter if you want to remove lead.

The Brita Longlast+ filter is NSF certified to:

• Remove 99.5% of lead in water at a pH of 6.5, or
• Remove 99.6% of lead in water at a pH of 8.5.

The Brita Standard filters and Brita Bottle filters do not remove lead from water.

4. PUR Water Filtration Pitcher

To remove lead from your drinking water, make sure you buy a PUR pitcher that takes the PUR PLUS filter.

The PUR PLUS pitcher filter is NSF certified to:

• Remove 98.5% of lead in water at a pH of 6.5 (acidic), or
• Remove 99.3% of lead in water at a pH of 8.5 (alkaline).

5. ZeroWater Filter Pitcher

The ZeroWater pitcher filter is NSF certified to:

• Remove 99.7% of lead in water at a pH of 6.5 (acidic), or
• Remove 95.9% of lead in water at a pH of 8.5 (alkaline).

So it really depends on how alkaline your water is. The pH of most water is less than 8, so with a ZeroWater pitcher you would still be able to remove the vast majority of the lead.

6. LifeStraw Home Water Filter Pitcher

This makes it not as efficient at removing lead from water as the other pitchers.

The LifeStraw Home Water Filter Pitcher is NSF certified to:

• Remove 96.35% of lead in water at a pH of 6.5 (acidic), or
• Remove 95.49% of lead in water at a pH of 8.5 (alkaline).

This level of lead reduction seems good, but the LifeStraw Home Water Filter Pitcher fails to meet the minimum 96.67% NSF/ANSI 53 Standard for lead reduction.

How to Detect Lead Contamination in Water Supply

Detecting lead in the water supply with physical inspection is virtually impossible because you can’t smell, taste, or see lead when it’s in water.

The best ways to detect lead exposure in tap water is to do the following:

Test For Lead Yourself

If you have concerns about lead levels in your water, one of the fastest and easiest things to do is to order a Water Utility Test kit from from Tap Score.

They have three types of City Water Test kits available, including the Essential, Advanced, and Extended. If you’re mainly concerned about lead, then you really only need the Essential City Water Test, which is also the cheapest option.

The benefit of these tests over what you generally get on Amazon or in Walmart is they test your water in a laboratory – so, you can actually trust these results. You can even speak with someone on the phone about your results – in fact they encourage it!

For private well owners, you’ll want to regularly test your water for lead as levels can vary year to year and between seasons.