According to Brita, their products can eliminate up to 99% of specific water impurities, including lead.
According to a 2020 study, carbon filters, which are used by many Brita filters, successfully lower water lead contamination to permissible levels.
The range of pollutants that each Brita filter can decrease varies. It is important to know which contaminants each filter seeks to eliminate because certain filters may not catch every mineral or contaminant.
To avoid contaminating their water with the bacteria buildup that happens in the filter over time, a person should also always replace their water filter in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
So, Do Brita Water Filters Remove Lead?
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Standard Filter
The Standard Brita Filter does not get rid of lead. This coconut-based activated carbon water filter is approved to lower mercury, copper, and chlorine (taste and odor).
After two months, you’ll need to swap out this pitcher filter for a new one.
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Longlast+ Filter
The Brita’s Longlast+ filter is certified to remove up to 99% of the lead present in tap water in addition to having a longer filter lifespan. The Longlast+ Brita water filter is the one to choose if you’re searching for a pitcher filter that will significantly lower the lead level of your water.
With a lifespan of six months, as the name would imply, this filter lasts the longest of all the Brita filters.
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Stream Filter
As you pour, the Brita Stream water filter filters tap water. This activated carbon filter may eliminate chlorine’s taste and odor, giving the water a better flavor, but it cannot get rid of lead.
The filter needs to be replaced every 40 gallons, or around every two months of use.
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Bottle Filter
Only one type of water bottle filter is available from Brita, and it cannot get rid of lead. While keeping beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium, the carbon water bottle Brita filters may minimize chlorine and class 1 particles.
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Faucet Filter
The only other Brita filters that can remove lead from water are the faucet water filters. Again, these filters may remove additional toxins including chlorine, ibuprofen, benzene, asbestos, and BPA in addition to reducing lead by up to 99%.
The Brita faucet filtration systems last for 4 months before the filter needs to be changed.
How Effective are Brita Faucet Filters?
Overall, there hasn’t been much scientific investigation on how well Brita products work.
On the Brita website, reviews for the faucet filters are mainly favorable. The faucet filters, according to reviews, are simple to use and do their job efficiently.
Some critics bemoan leaks and poor construction.
How Effective is the Brita Water Bottle Filters?
On the Brita website, the water bottles have received mostly favorable evaluations. However, others claim that cleaning the straw is challenging and that it might grow mildew and smell bad.
How Effective is the Brita Pitcher Filters?
The Brita Elite Filter, which is used in Brita pitchers, aims to lessen the taste and odor of chlorine as well as the amount of lead, mercury, cadmium, and other particles. This filter does not attempt to exclude all potential toxins from a person’s water supply. Additionally, not everyone’s water source may have the toxins Brita lists.
Do Brita filters really work?
Depending on what they are aiming to filter out, water filters operate in various ways. A filter, for example, might capture minute parasites and stop them from escaping the jug while allowing other elements of the water to get through.
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) accreditation that accompanies a Brita filter allows users to determine which elements of water the product will filter out.
How Frequently Should Filters be Changed?
Depending on the type of dispenser or pitcher, Brita advises changing its water filters every 2 to 6 months.
This generally means that 40 to 120 gallons of water can be filtered before a new filter is required.
What Separates Removing from Decreasing?
The toxins that water filter brands can remove are frequently listed on their packaging. This indicates that a business asserts that its filters either totally eliminate certain particles or remove a specific percentage of them.
When a business says that its filters minimize contaminants, it means that they considerably reduce the number of contaminants that are still present in a person’s drinking water rather than completely eliminating them.
According to Brita, all of its filters decrease pollutants and the taste and odor of chlorine.
For instance, it states that its Longlast+ filter minimizes most pollutants and removes 99% of lead.
How do they Function?
According to Brita, typical filters function like a sieve, utilizing carbon to minimize the taste and odor of chlorine and lessen the mercury content. An ion-exchange resin is also used in Brita filters to filter out cadmium, copper, and zinc.
These filters have pores that regulate which substances get through. Trusted Source The results of filtering may vary depending on the size of these holes.
How Much time do Brita filters last?
According to Brita, each filter lasts between two and six months before needing to be replaced.
For Brita pitcher and dispenser filters, the following approximate replacement rates apply:
- 2 months for a Brita Standard filter
- 6 months for a Brita Longlast+ filter
- 2 months for the Brita Stream filter
The approximate replacement rates for Brita water bottle filters and faucet filters are as follows:
- Brita Premium Filtering Water Bottles: 2 months
- Brita Water Filter Faucet System Model OPFF-100: 4 months
- Brita Water Filter Faucet System Model SAFF-100: 4 months
- Brita Water Filter Faucet System Model FF-100: 4 months
Brita warns that someone who lives in a region with hard water might have to change the filters more frequently.
On some products, there is an electric filter change indication that can be used to determine when filters need to be changed.
Summary
Brita filters lower the levels of pollutants in drinking water, like the majority of other water filters. Depending on the model, different components will be filtered out.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) governs public drinking water in the United States. As a result, the nation’s tap water is among the world’s safest and most dependable.
If a person wants to change the flavor or odor of tap water, avoid hazardous chemicals, or has specific medical needs, they may decide to filter it.
According to SDWA safety regulations, hazardous substances are either eliminated throughout the water treatment process or reduced to an acceptable concentration before entering people’s homes. Private water systems, however, are exempt from SDWA regulations.
Therefore, it is recommended to have a laboratory check the water for toxins at least once a year if a person uses a private water source.
ALSO SEE: Does GE Water Filter Remove Lead?
FAQs on Brita Lead Removal
Has the Longlast filter in Brita been modified?
Yes. Longlast+ is the moniker that Brita recently gave to their Longlast water filters after updating them. These water filters can now get rid of more impurities, like lead.
Why Do Brita’s Filters Remove Fewer Contaminants?
The Brita filters used to be the top products available. However, new filters that are far more capable have recently hit the market. Due to design, the best-filtered water options may eliminate hundreds more toxins than Brita. To be competitive, Brita will probably keep improving its water filtering technologies.
Should I use a faucet filter or the Brita Longlast+?
Your preferences for filtered water will determine this. Both faucet filters and Longlast+ remove up to 99% of lead from water, but the Longlast+ is intended to be attached to a water pitcher. The faucet system filters water instantaneously, but the Longlast+ takes a few minutes.
My Opinion
You need either the Brita faucet filter or the Brita Longlast+ filter if you want to eliminate lead from your water and you’re especially looking at Brita filters. Even while Brita’s other filtered water options are a solid choice for chlorine filtration, none of them can eliminate lead.