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3/24/2025
WT Staff
 Got water questions? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtga.us
March 24, 2025 329 pm EDT
In-home drinking water filters are certified to reduce PFAS, what happens to the forever chemicals in the filter?
Anyone that has encountered a full Diaper Genie or Port-a-Potty during a summer event has experienced the compounding effects of storing up a concentrated waste stream. The assault vehicle unleashed on the senses accelerates off the cliff of all decency as receptacles brimming with waste must eventually be emptied. What does this mean for in-home water filters certified to trap forever chemicals? WaterToday asked the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) how homeowners are expected to manage a concentrated stream of forever-toxic PFAS in their used drinking water filters, and how dangerous could this get?
What's the harm with this shell game?
Dec 11, 2023 Seoul, South Korea – NSF, the leading testing and certification organization in the water industry, announced today that Microfilter, a South Korean water filter manufacturer, has earned certification to NSF/ANSI 53 for its FP-10, FP-10S, FP-15, FP-15S, FP-17, FP-17S, FP-21 and FP-21S products. With this certification, Microfilter becomes NSF’s first client in the world to receive this certification for total PFAS reduction.
Dozens of filters have since been added to the list certified ny NSF for PFAS reduction in drinking water, prompting this line of inquiry.
When toxins are separated from bulk water, whether it be drinking water on the way to your tap or glass, or wastewater effluent returning to the environment, the clean water stream has certainly been improved. On the other hand, a highly toxic waste stream, now reduced in volume, is concentrated and contained within the water filter media. The forever chemical hazard jumps to an elevated threat level. Assuming a specialized service licensed for hazardous materials handling and storage steps in at this point, it looks like we may be winning.
The Hazardous Materials Transportation Act regulates over 800 substances, all require licensed handlers, all subject to federal and state laws protecting public health, water and the environment. With the advancement of home water filtration systems to remove PFAS, the dangerous fluorine-carbon bonds may end up back in the environment, where they continue to move through the hydrologic cycle, re-combining and returning to drinking water sources.
The NSF is working on a response to our question, check back soon to find out what they say.
See our prior article on PFAS, Georgia State University Griffin Professor Huang on PFAS destruction technology, here.
See CrimeBox, environmental services company driver convicted under the Clean Water Act for emptying waste tank into a ravine.
See prior article on the latest changes to the SDWA, regulation of six PFAS compounds in drinking water, here.
The Safe Drinking Water Act protects public health through the administration and delivery of quality drinking water supplies across the USA. The US EPA establishes standards for drinking water, monitors and enforces treatment techniques for surface water and groundwater, sets maximum limits for around 100 contaminants ensuring public disclosure of deviations and discrepancies.
WaterToday opens the record books of the federal drinking water regulator to bring awareness to the local raw water supply and the compliance record of licensed water treatment facilities. The Georgia Department of Environmental Protection - Division of Drinking Water inspects 2376 licensed and active public drinking water facilities, reporting the results to the EPA. Check back here for drinking water news and alerts as they arise in GA.
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