A Quick Look at Why Brita Filters Can’t Remove PFAS

Unfortunately, Brita filters aren’t designed to remove forever chemicals. They excel at removing many other impurities and contaminants but fall short when it comes to PFAS.

To effectively filter out PFAS, you'll need a water filter that uses reverse osmosis or granular activated carbon (GAC). In this article, we’ll explore why Brita filters don’t work for PFAS and suggest some alternatives that do.

Why Brita Can’t Filter PFAS

Brita filters are popular for a reason—they’re effective at removing many common water contaminants. But they can’t remove PFAS from water.

This is because they don’t use the methods known to effectively remove PFAS, such as reverse osmosis and granular activated carbon (GAC). Instead, Brita uses a mix of other filtration techniques:

• Activated carbon block: This method targets issues like taste, odor, and color.
• Mesh media: This is used to catch sediments.
• Non-woven filter: This helps remove some health hazards regulated by the EPA.

These methods are effective for many impurities but not for PFAS. To tackle PFAS, Brita would need to adopt one of the following water filtration technologies:

• Reverse osmosis (RO): Reverse osmosis is one of the most effective water filtration technologies, which makes it super popular in household water treatment units. Reverse osmosis systems can remove PFAS thanks to their 0.0001-micron semi-permeable membrane. This membrane traps PFAS and other contaminants, allowing only clean water to pass through the membrane. The trapped PFAS is flushed and released as wastewater.
• Granular activated carbon (GAC): GAC is an upgrade on the conventional water filtration method with an activated carbon block. Unlike the compressed carbon block, which uses compressed carbon, GAC contains loose carbon granules that allow for more contact time with water. This results in more effective water treatment. A carbon block can only reduce aesthetic impurities and some chemicals like chlorine, but GAC can easily filter dangerous contaminants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and PFAS.

Brita Alternatives That Can Filter PFAS

Here are four water filtration systems that can effectively remove PFAS from your drinking water:

1. Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher: The Clearly filtered water pitcher is one of the best options for filtering PFAS. It uses Affinity filtration technology to reduce 95% of PFAS from your drinking water. The technology works similarly to GAC but with a unique filter structure and a contaminant magnet for PFAS removal. The Clearly Filtered water pitcher is NSF 42, 53, 244, 401, and 473 certified to remove over 365 drinking water contaminants, which is more than any other water filter pitcher.

2. Springwell CF1 Whole House Filter: Springwell CF1 is a whole house water filter that uses a 4-stage filtration process with catalytic carbon (the most advanced form of granular activated carbon) to reduce 99.5% of PFAS.

3. AquaTru RO System: For those who prefer reverse osmosis, the AquaTru water filter is an excellent choice. It uses a 4-stage reverse osmosis filtration process to remove 97.5% of PFAS from water. AquaTRU has long-lasting filters that only need to be replaced after filtering 600 gallons of water, making it both effective and convenient.

Comparison Table

Summary

While Brita offers six different types of water filters that remove many common contaminants, none are equipped with the necessary filtration technology to remove PFAS.

If you’re concerned about these harmful chemicals in your water, it’s important to choose a filtration system that’s up to the task. Reverse osmosis and granular activated carbon (GAC) technologies are the best options for effectively removing PFAS.

By opting for one of these alternatives, you’ll ensure your drinking water is safe and clean, protecting your health and that of your loved ones.