In short, my girlfriend keeps talking about PFAs. Yesterday she showed me a series of PFA removal devices that are supposed to remove 100% of them from tap water. All of them are either expensive upfront of expensive over time with the filter replacements. Is it worth trying to remove them from my drinking water?
In: Biology
“PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1940s. They have been used to make nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams, and products that resist grease, water, and oil. ”
PFAS are the latest boogeyman chemical, and we’re not sure if they have health effects or not. If you’re wanting to filter them from your water, I’d look at reverse osmosis filters since they will filter anything harmful out of the water. Anything marketed specifically to remove PFAS is more likely to be intended to cash in on a trend.
PFOAs/PFAS are a category of compounds which brought about products such as Teflon, Goretex, etc. Ingesting or breathing in these chemicals have been shown definitively to cause health problems, birth defects, etc, and they are likely to stay in your body and accumulate over time. Google it and horrified at Dupont and 3Ms cover up of the effects which they’ve known for over half a century.
Depending on your tap water source, you can find the water quality data from your provider (website usually). There is no safe level of PFOAs/PFAS, but the lesser amount you expose yourself to the better.
I use the Brita Elite filters, which does a great job of filtering out the stuff. But I wouldn’t go full doomsday filtration system shopping until you verify how clean your water supplier is.
PFAs, or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that can potentially harm health. While the risk is low, if you’re concerned, a filter can provide peace of mind. It’s an investment in your well-being, but not a necessity for everyone.
There are pitcher filters and canister filters that are effective, such as ZeroWater and Berkey. The frequency you will need to change the filter will depend on the condition of the tap water. For example, my tap water is very hard, so I need to replace the ZeroWater filter every 7 to 10 days for a two person household. The Berkey filter lasts longer, but is much more expensive up-front. Reverse Osmosis may be a better solution for long term. Fortunately my community water system is transitioning to “Town water” in the next few months, so I won’t need my ZeroWater much longer.
PFAS are **P**er- and **P**oly- **F**luoro**A**lkyl **S**ubstances; these are human-made chemical compounds. Teflon as one of the first PFAS in widespread use but there are now millions of different PFAS, each for a slightly different purpose. They are widely used to make products that are waterproof, nonstick, or that resist grease, oil, and stains — everything from yoga pants to smartphone screens and firefighting foam to cosmetics.
The concerns with PFAS are that they basically don’t break down, either in the environment or within our bodies. This means that they are literally *everywhere* — in the ground, in the air, in the water and (of course) in our bodies. Since the human body can only get rid of PFAS very slowly, they tend to accumulate in the body. High levels of PFAS can contribute to health issues such as reduced fertility, pregnancy issues, cancer, thyroid disease, and other health problems.
Drinking water with PFAS in it is a major way that these chemicals accumulate in the human body. Some water utilities are addressing the problem by filtering out PFAS from the drinking water supply, while others have not yet addressed the problem. You should be able to obtain a drinking water report from your water utility. If they don’t have a report available, or if you get your water from a well, you can have have your water tested. The important thing is to use a certified laboratory that uses accepted testing methods (as opposed to a lab that works for the company trying to sell you a filter system).
The test results will let you compare your water against State and Federal standards. This will tell you of PFAS levels (or other contaminants) are concerning — and if so, then a filter system might well be worthwhile. There are [in-home water filter and treatment systems](https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/reducing-pfas-drinking-water-treatment-technologies) that will remove PFAS from your water. Finally, if you drink well water, even if things look good now, it is a good idea to re-test regularly, because contaminants can and do show up without any obvious warning signs.
Sources:
* [US EPA: PFAS Explained](https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained)
* [US CDC/ATSDR: PFAS and Your Health](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html)
Ever since science became able to measure extremely tiny amounts of substances, we found lots of things to worry about. When we couldn’t detect them we didn’t worry about them, and, as far as we know, they didn’t hurt us. Now we worry about everything. Google dihydrogen monoxide. It is used in the manufacture of nerve gasses. Yet the government has done nothing to protect us. /s
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