Filtering the Facts: PFAS in Water

Forever Chemicals Made Their Debut

PFAS are one of the latest and not so greatest topics around water and health. As a society in recent years, we have learned how harmful these forever chemicals are and about some of the common, now expected sources where we can find them.

Teflon pans? Okay, fine. But wait, most air fryers are made with Teflon? Soda and sparkling water/LaCroix cans have PFAS? How could this get worse?

And then we found out how prevalent they are in our water. Towns came forward with concerning findings, resulting in some angry citizens and officials too. Not all towns on well systems are safe, and not all city water is safe. At this point, many of us don’t trust any water supply that isn’t intensely filtered. After all, water is the closest thing to home for all of us. Our bodies are composed of more than 50-60% water, and we need an ample amount to maintain optimal health and function at our best.

It is understandable that it felt violating to many of us when we learned we have ingested forever chemicals into our bodies for who knows how long. It’s a shame when the simplest, purest substance we need the most can’t be trusted.

“Epidemiological studies have shown that the occurrence of PFOA and PFOS in humans is probably linked to a high incidence of thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension” (Delecourt et al., 2020).

Enough Dwelling on the Problem, Let’s Focus on the Solution

The solution is not to drink less water. It is to adjust and adapt. We cannot go back, but we can adjust how we move forward. The beautiful aspect of our present time is that technology has the capacity to address numerous challenges we face. With enough filtering in place, you can effectively transform your water supply, removing everything you don’t want from your water.

Pure Water Technology systems utilize four nearly foot-tall filters. Sediment, Carbon Block, Reverse Osmosis, and a Granular Activated Carbon filter to finish it off before the water is enclosed in a daily self-cleaning, stainless-steel reservoir.

What Are PFAS and How Do Our Systems Remove Them from Your Water?

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, these chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment” (NIH).

Reverse Osmosis and Activated Carbon filtering are highly effective at removing PFAS from water. The most power comes from combining the two.

Reverse Osmosis for PFAS Removal

Reverse osmosis is known to be highly effective at removing PFAS from water due to its ability to filter out even the smallest contaminants. Research shows that high-pressure membranes including reverse osmosis (RO) are highly effective technologies for removal of PFAS “with rejections as high as > 99 % (RO) and 90 %-99 %” (Lan et al., 2022).

A study published in the "Environmental Science & Technology" journal (2015) investigated the removal efficiency of various treatment methods for PFAS-contaminated water. It concluded that RO demonstrated high removal efficiency for various PFAS compounds. Another study in the "Journal of Hazardous Materials" (2016) found that RO could remove over 98% of PFAS compounds from contaminated water samples.

Carbon Filtering for PFAS Removal

Carbon filtering can effectively absorb PFAS compounds due to their porous structure and high surface area. A study conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighted that granular activated carbon (GAC) filters are effective at removing PFAS from drinking water.

The "Journal of Water Process Engineering" (2016) published research on the effectiveness of activated carbon in removing PFAS from water sources. The study demonstrated that activated carbon was successful in removing various PFAS compounds to levels below the regulatory limit. A Duke University study showed that activated-carbon filters removed 73% of PFAS contaminants on average, showing that in some cases, the chemicals were completely removed.

Who Is Affected?

Research shows that at least 45% of our nation’s tap water is contaminated with PFAS. “This USGS research marks the first time anyone has tested for and compared PFAS in tap water from both private and government-regulated public water supplies on a broad scale throughout the country. Those data were used to model and estimate PFAS contamination nationwide. This USGS study can help members of the public understand their risk of exposure and inform policy and management decisions regarding testing and treatment options for drinking water” (USGS Tap Water Study).

Pure Water Technology Process

As previously noted, PWT systems utilize a four-step filtration process.

Sediment Filter: Removes dirt, rust, silt.

Carbon Block Filter: Removes chemicals, solvents, chlorine.

Reverse Osmosis: Removes common chemical contaminants including lead, mercury, arsenic.

Granular Activated Carbon: Final removal/polish.

A handful of other water companies utilize four filters like this in their Reverse Osmosis filtering process. Sooner or later, this four-filter process will become the new normal as our standards continue to increase.

When deciding on a water company, it is crucial to opt for a provider that offers the necessary frequency of filter replacements to ensure optimal performance. Those four powerful filters provide nothing if the filter needs a change. We utilize a ‘stop filter’ system. When the filter is at capacity, it stops providing you with water. You’re going to know when you need a filter change as a sensor will warn you at 90% capacity, giving you plenty of time to alert us so we can change them out for you.

After our filtration process, a daily automated activated oxygen self-cleaning cycle is initiated through the tanks and lines, effectively safeguarding against potential microbiological concerns such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

You never have to experience subpar water when you’re with us. You will consistently get the cleanest and best-tasting water possible.

References:

1.?????C.J. Liu et al. (2021). Rejection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aqueous film-forming foam by high-pressure membranes. Water Research.

2.?????Delecourt, C., Boudenne, J. L., Arp, H. P. H., & Verlhac, P. (2020). Occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in tap water from cities in France. Chemosphere, 239, 124697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124697

3.?????Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment. (2020). Not All In-Home Drinking Water Filters Completely Remove Toxic PFAS. Duke University. URL: https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/not-all-home-drinking-water-filters-completely-remove-toxic-pfas

4.?????Lan, H., Lei, L., Chen, S., Hu, J., Liu, C., & Li, X. (2016). Treatment of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in aqueous solution by ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC). Journal of Water Process Engineering, 11, 68-75.

5.?????Liu, H., Zhang, S., Ma, J., Qi, W., Wang, Z., Zhang, Y., ... & Wang, Z. (2016). Perfluorooctanesulfonate and perfluorooctanoate in waters: Occurrence, sources, toxicity and treatment—a mini review. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 317, 405-414.

6.?????Patterson, C., Burkhardt, J., Schupp, D., Krishnan, E. R., Dyment, S., Merritt, S., Zintek, L., & Kleinmaier, D. (2019). Effectiveness of point-of-use/point-of-entry systems to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from drinking water. AWWA Water Science, 1(2), 1–12. doi: 10.1002/aws2.1131

7.?????Post, G.B., Cohn, P.D., Cooper, K.R. (2015). Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an emerging drinking water contaminant: A critical review of recent literature. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(16), 9469-9488.

8.?????U.S. EPA. (2019). Drinking Water Treatability Database - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Retrieved from https://iaspub.epa.gov/tdb/pages/contaminant/contaminantOverview.do?contaminantId=-2087915452.

9.?????U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (Year). Title of the news release. USGS. URL: https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us