Reverse osmosis activated carbon filtration, and ion exchange are all ways to get rid of PFAS from water.
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Reverse osmosis:
In a reverse osmosis (RO) system, unfiltered water is forced through a semipermeable membrane by using pressure. Small pores in the membrane block contaminants like PFAS but let clean water flow through to the other side. Reverse osmosis is one of the most thorough ways to remove contaminants from water.
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Activated carbon filtration:
Carbon filters are made of activated carbon, which has a lot of pores on its surface and inside. When water flows through activated carbon, PFAS and other contaminants are taken in or changed by a process called adsorption. On the other side of the activated carbon, clean water comes out.
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Ion exchange:
Ion exchange is a chemical process that gets rid of dissolved ions like PFAS, nitrate, and sulfate by replacing them with other ions that have the same charge. Ions are either positively or negatively charged atoms or molecules.
Ion exchange water treatment systems have a cation resin that grabs positively charged ions (like PFAS) and an anion resin that grabs negatively charged ions (like PFAS) (e.g., hardness causing calcium and magnesium).
What’s The Best Way To Remove PFAS From Drinking Water?
Carbon filtration is the easiest and least expensive of the three solutions we’ve talked about so far. Carbon is a great way to get rid of PFAS from water as long as you let the water sit in the filter for a long enough time.
Use a filter with a lot of activated carbon and make sure that the flow rate isn’t too fast to get enough exposure time. This will give the carbon time to soak up harmful chemicals, like PFAS.
ALSO SEE: Does Tap Water have PFAS?
3 Water Filters That Can Reduce PFAS In Drinking Water
PFAS can be reduced to some degree by almost all carbon filters. But filters are more likely to work if they have a good amount of high-quality carbon in them. Here are our three most popular filters that can cut down on PFAS:
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WC04 fine coconut carbon block filter
The WC04 is one of the water filters that we sell the most of. It is a standard 10-inch by 2.5-inch by 0.45-micron carbon block filter. It fits into standard 10″ QMP or Aqua-pro housings and can be used for many different things.
The WC04 is very good at getting rid of heavy metal and chemical contaminants. It can cut down a lot on:
- Bad smell and taste
- Chlorine By-products of chlorine (trihalomethanes, polychlorinated biphenyls)
- Pesticides and drugs are examples of volatile organic compounds.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Heavy metals like lead and mercury, as well as radon gas and PFAS
- Cyst parasites include Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Cyclosporiasis.
Find out more about the WC04 here.
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Everpure 2FC-S
Everpure is one of the best water filter companies in the world. They are known for making strong metal filter housings and making a wide range of products. Everpure filters are also easy to use because the QL series heads let users twist their filters into place.
There are many Everpure filters that can remove PFAS from drinking water. But the 2FC-S is one of the best choices because of its high flow rate, ability to reduce chlorine, ability to reduce the scale and fine level of filtration.
This filter works better because it is made with fiberdyne carbon. This is a special kind of carbon that has been changed in a way that makes it better at absorbing chemicals.
The 2FC-S works at a flow rate of 5.67 liters per minute, which is much higher than most carbon filters, which work at less than 2 liters per minute.
The 2FC-S can remove 22,712 liters of chlorine, which is much more than other popular Everpure products like the ADC (which has 2,835-liter chlorine reduction capacity).
The 2FC-S can cut down on:
- Bad flavor and smell
- Chlorine
- Products of chlorine (trihalomethanes, polychlorinated biphenyls)
- Some pesticides and drugs are volatile organic compounds.
- Aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Radon gas
- Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, are found in PFAS.
Scale from calcium carbonate cyst parasites like Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Cyclosporiasis.
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GTS1-10 Carbon Block Filter 1 m
The GTS1-10 is an affordable silver-impregnated carbon block filter that can filter very finely. People who use tank water like it because it has silver in it, which makes it less likely that bacteria will grow in the filter housing itself.
With the GTS1-10, you can:
- Bad flavor and smell
- Chlorine
- Products of chlorine
- Some pesticides and drugs are volatile organic compounds.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Radon gas
- Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, are found in PFAS.
- Cyst parasites include Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Cyclosporiasis.
What Are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are shortened to PFAS. It is a term for a group of thousands of man-made chemicals, such as PFOA, PFOS, and GenX.
The first PFAS were made in the 1940s, and at the time, they were seen as amazing scientific advances. They were able to make almost any surface resistant to oil, water, and/or high temperatures.
Because of these unique qualities, manufacturers quickly started using PFAS. They were used to make coatings for textiles, nonstick cookware, paper products, semiconductors, electronics, building materials, firefighting foams, and a lot of other things.
At first, scientists thought that PFAS molecules were not dangerous because they didn’t have any chemically active groups. Even though they saw that workers who were exposed to PFAS had high levels of PFAS in their blood, the first studies didn’t show any health problems.
Unfortunately, those early studies didn’t take into account that many PFAS stick around for a long time because their half-lives are so long. This means that they can build up in living things and move long distances in nature.
Because of this, the PFAS levels of people who are often exposed to PFAS will keep going up. PFAS can have a toxic effect on the body over time, which can make it more likely to get sick with several serious diseases.
Because PFAS last a long time, they are sometimes called “forever chemicals.” PFAS are found in:
Localized pollution like seepage from landfills, firefighting foams, and wastewater treatment plants have polluted drinking water.
Food made with equipment that has been cleaned with PFAS or packaged with materials that contain PFAS. Fruits, vegetables, and animals are grown in PFAS-contaminated areas will also have PFAS in them.
Products like stain protectors, cleaning products, waxes, polishes, sunscreen, cosmetics, and paints contain PFAS.
Solvents, paints, and electronics are common things in workplaces.
PFAS have built up in the bodies of fish, animals, and humans.
How can PFAs hurt people?
Researchers have found that high levels of PFAS raise the risk of:
- Thyroid sickness
- Increased Cholesterol levels
- Liver damage
- Having breast cancer
- Uterine cancer
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease
- Testicular cancer
PFAS have also been found to affect unborn children in a big way. Fetuses exposed to high levels of PFAS are more likely to be smaller at birth, to be overweight, to start puberty early, and to take longer to get pregnant. Hypertension caused by pregnancy may also happen to the woman who is expecting.
Because PFAS pose such serious risks, the Australian federal government has set up a task force to do research and find places where there is a lot of pollution from PFAS.
They want to clean up a number of polluted areas in Australia, including the Williamstown RAAF Base, which was ruined by firefighting foam.
In the United States, many PFAS are now banned. Eight of the biggest chemical companies in the United States have agreed to stop using PFOA and chemicals related to it in their products and emissions.
Unfortunately, Australia is a long way behind the U.S., and PFAS are still in a lot of products.
PFAS are so common in Australia that most people already have levels of them in their blood that can be measured. Even though there are only a few heavily contaminated sites in Australia, everyone is at risk of bioaccumulation because PFAS can stay in the environment for a long time.
Does Boiling Water remove PFAS?
No, PFAS can’t be gotten rid of by boiling water. In fact, heat does not break down PFAS. Instead, it concentrates the chemicals and makes them more dangerous if they are eaten.
Does Bottled Water have PFAS?
PFAS have been found in both bottled water and carbonated water in cans. A recent study by Consumer Reports looked at 47 brands of bottled and canned water and found that most of them had levels of PFAS that could be found, but only nine brands had levels over 1 part per trillion (PPT). Two of the nine brands with levels over 1 PPT make still water, and the other seven make sparkling water.
What is being done about the PFAS that are in the water?
Even though the EPA health advisory is not enforceable and there are no federal rules about PFAS in the water right now, this could change soon. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA is working to set a federal standard for PFAS. If the standard is approved, states would have to change and adapt PFAS-related water quality standards.
If levels are found to be above 70 parts per trillion, the measure would require states to find another source of drinking water and use the right water treatment system until the original source is deemed safe again.
A few states, including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Vermont, have already set or proposed limits for PFAS in drinking water.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any more questions about PFAS or the safety of your water supply.