Every day, more than 110 million Americans drink water potentially contaminated with PFAS, PFOS, or PFOA. However, reverse osmosis systems are an effective way to remove these harmful PFAS and PFOA from drinking water while also increasing its quality.
Reverse osmosis systems remove PFAS by using pressure to force contaminated water through a semi-permeable membrane. The percentage of PFAS removed depends on the reverse osmosis system. Reverse osmosis systems that utilize granular (not powdered) activated carbon filtration in addition to the semi-permeable membrane will remove between 90 and 100% of PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS.
This article will take you through what PFAS is, how it enters your water supply, and why it’s such a problem. Importantly, we explain how reverse osmosis removes PFAS from water, discuss the best reverse osmosis filtration systems able to remove PFAS from water, and where to buy a PFAS water testing kit.
What is PFAS, PFOA and PFOS?
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals used to make heat, oil, stain, grease, and water-resistant items or coatings.
PFAS compounds include perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), so PFOS and PFOA are types of PFAS.
Because PFAS are efficient at repelling water, oil and grease, they have been used in a range of products since 1940. Nonstick cookware, polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning supplies, and fire-fighting foams are everyday items that were commonly made with PFAS.
You can be exposed to PFAS in different ways, including:
- Drinking tap or well water contaminated with PFAS.
- Eating food that has been packaged in PFAS-containing material.
- Using consumer goods like stain-resistant carpeting and water-resistant clothing made from PFAS.
- Eating fish or other seafood caught in PFAS-contaminated water source.
- Accidentally swallowing PFAS contaminated dust.
How reverse osmosis removes PFAS, PFOS, and PFOA from water.
Reverse osmosis is one of the most effective methods for removing the pollutants PFAS, PFOS, and PFOA from water.
Reverse osmosis systems contain multiple filtering stages, including activated carbon and a semi-permeable membrane.
Reverse osmosis removes PFAS by using pressure to force the contaminated water through the semi-permeable membrane. The membrane has a tiny pore size of around 0.0001 microns, which prevents anything larger, such as PFAS, from passing through with the water molecules.
According to the EPA, granular activated carbon can also be used to remove PFAS from your drinking water.
Most reverse osmosis systems use activated carbon to filter the water before it reaches the semi-permeable membrane. This ensures pollutants such as PFAS are physically and chemically removed from drinking water.
It also means that the combination of activated carbon filter and semi-permeable membrane in reverse osmosis systems provides the most effective method of PFAS removal from water.
How much PFAS will reverse osmosis remove?
According to the EPA, granular activated carbon can remove up to 100% of PFAS (depending on the type, amount and depth of the carbon, temperature and water flow rate), while the semi-permeable membrane can remove at least 90% of PFAS from your drinking water.
Any reverse osmosis system that contains an activated carbon pre-filter as well as the semi-permeable membrane will be able to remove at least 90% of PFAS – but likely much more.
Best reverse osmosis system for removing PFAS
Pentair FreshPoint 5-Stage Under Counter Reverse Osmosis System With Monitor GRO-575M
This 5-Stage Pentair Reverse Osmosis System removes up to 98.0% of PFOA/PFOS “forever chemicals” from water. (Amazon link)
Pentair’s 4-Stage RO system has also been tested to remove PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS, by up to 98.0%.
How PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS enters our water supply
PFAS can be ingested in a number of different ways. Either through food or water.
However, the most common source of PFAS exposure is from contaminated water.
In fact, according to the FDA, PFAS generally enters our water and the food chain through environmental contamination or migration from food packaging.
Although, environmental contamination is typically limited to a specific geographic area. Contamination sites are usually near an industrial facility where PFAS were manufactured or used to create other products, or near an oil refinery, military base or airfield where PFAS-containing firefighting materials have been used.
PFAS can also be released into the environment when products, especially food packaging, are dumped in landfills.
Because PFAS are long-lasting and difficult to break down by sunlight or other processes, they can persist for years in the areas they are created, used, disposed of, or spilled – resulting in persistent environmental contamination.
When it rains, PFAS can also be transferred to lakes, rivers and streams with the rain water as it washes off and moves around. This makes it easy for PFAS to enter both the groundwater and surface water, contaminating our tap and well water supplies.
Effects of PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS
At certain amounts of exposure, PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS are harmful to the human body. PFAS will affect your body whether you consume it from food or water.
According to CDC and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS exposure has the following effects on the human body:
- Liver enzyme changes.
- Pregnant women are at an increased risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia.
- Lower infant birth weights.
- Increase risk of kidney or testicular cancer.
- Increased cholesterol levels.
- Decreased vaccine response in children.
- Developmental effects.
- Cancers.
- Leads to reproductive problems.
- Immune system disorders.
- Thyroid disorder.
- Concerns about the cardiovascular system.
According to recent research, PFAS exposure might also cause
- Asthma.
- Decreased fertility.
Examples of PFAS contamination in the U.S.
Because of the usage of PFAS in fire-fighting foam, PFAS pollution has become a significant issue across the United States. Particularly near military posts and airports.
PFAS is toxic, and is currently believed to contaminate more than 200 million Americans‘ drinking water. For instance:
- Research carried out in 2019 concluded that PFAS contamination of US drinking water wells is present in 20% of private wells and 60% of public wells. A phenomenal 24 PFAS compounds were found in the samples collected from 16 different states.
- The number of communities in the United States that have been found to be polluted with the highly hazardous PFAS is increasing at an alarming rate. In 2021, there were 2,854 polluted areas in 50 states and two territories.
- The Defense Department has identified 401 military installations that could be contaminated with the PFAS. In fact, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Northeastern University have identified more than 700 incidents of PFAS contamination in 49 states.
Information regarding contamination sites at or near military facilities, industrial precincts, commercial airports, and firefighter training grounds is publicly available and can be viewed on this map.
PFAS Specialized Water Testing
The only way to find out if you have PFAS in your water supply is to get it tested in a lab.
MyTapScore have a good quality PFAS home water testing kit for $289.00. It’s an expensive test but it covers a suite of 14 different PFAS contaminants, including PFOA and PFOS.
- Order today and they’ll send out the kit and instructions on how to collect the samples.
- Shipping is included.
- Samples are tested in a certified laboratory and can detect concentrations to below 2 parts per trillion (PPT).
- You’ll get the results in about 5 days.
For more information and to order your PFAS water testing kit click here.
How to remove PFAS from water at home
PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS, is efficiently removed from water by a reverse osmosis membrane or granular activated carbon treatment. Reverse osmosis systems that employ both granular activated carbon blocks and semi-permeable membranes are ideal. Water filter pitchers, such as the Epic Nano, are a cheaper alternative that can remove >99.6% of PFAS.
Technologies that can be used to remove PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS from the home or office can be used at the point-of-entry, where water enters the home, or at the point-of-use, such as the kitchen sink.
These include activated carbon treatments (granular not powdered), ion exchange, and high-pressure membranes such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.
All of which can easily be installed at home in a few simple steps and a short period of time.
For more information about the capability of water filter pitchers in removing PFAS from water read this detailed article.
Do all reverse osmosis systems remove PFAS?
PFAS can be removed from water by any reverse osmosis system. However, the percentage of PFAS removed depends on the reverse osmosis system. Reverse osmosis systems that utilize granular activated carbon filtration in addition to the semi-permeable membrane will remove between 90 and 100% of PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS.
Note: The efficiency of any filter in removing and lowering PFAS is dependent on the amount of PFAS in the incoming water, the age of the filter, its size, flow rate, inlet line pressure, and local water conditions.
The Pentair 5-Stage RO system is a premium reverse osmosis system that is ideal for removing PFAS but is not SUPER expensive compared to many other RO brands. It also fits under the sink and is VERY easy to install.
