What Are PFAS?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Rather than being a single chemical, PFAS refers to a large family of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer and industrial products for decades.

Their resistance to heat, water, grease, and oil made them useful in applications ranging from stain-resistant materials and food packaging to certain manufacturing processes and firefighting foams.

Those same properties also create a problem.

Many PFAS compounds break down extremely slowly in the environment. Because they can persist for long periods of time, they have become widely known as “forever chemicals.”

PFAS have been detected in water, soil, wildlife, and people. Their presence has led to increased research, monitoring, and regulation of drinking water across the United States.

Why Should Iowa Homeowners Know About PFAS?

PFAS aren't exclusively an Iowa issue. They are a national water-quality concern.

But Iowa homeowners should understand them because drinking-water sources can potentially be affected by contamination associated with industrial activity, firefighting foam, landfills, airports, waste streams, and other sources.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established federal drinking-water standards for several PFAS compounds, including very low limits for PFOA and PFOS.

Public water systems are responsible for monitoring their water and complying with applicable drinking-water regulations. Private wells are different. If your home receives water from a private well, you are generally responsible for understanding and testing the quality of that water.

Whether you use municipal water or a private well, the first question shouldn't be:

“Which filter should I buy?”

It should be:

“Do I know what's actually in my water?”

Can PFAS Be Reduced in Drinking Water?

Yes. Certain water-treatment technologies can reduce specific PFAS compounds.

Technologies used for PFAS reduction can include reverse osmosis, activated carbon, and ion exchange, depending on the application, contaminant, concentration, water chemistry, system design, and other factors.

But there's an important distinction homeowners need to understand:

A technology being capable of reducing PFAS does not automatically mean every product using that technology has been tested or certified for PFAS reduction.

That distinction matters.

A reverse osmosis system may look similar to another reverse osmosis system. Two carbon filters may appear nearly identical. Their actual contaminant-reduction performance, capacity, testing, and certifications can be very different.

What Does “Certified for PFAS Reduction” Mean?

When evaluating a drinking-water treatment system, homeowners should look beyond advertising language and ask whether its performance claims have been independently tested and certified.

Organizations such as NSF International and the Water Quality Association (WQA) provide third-party testing and certification of water-treatment products to established standards.

For point-of-use drinking-water systems, NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF/ANSI 58 are two standards homeowners may encounter when researching products with PFAS reduction claims. NSF/ANSI 53 applies to certain health-effects claims for filtration systems, while NSF/ANSI 58 covers reverse osmosis drinking-water treatment systems.

The important thing isn't simply seeing an NSF or WQA logo.

Look at what the individual product is actually certified to reduce.

A system can be certified to a standard without necessarily being certified for every contaminant covered under that standard.

That's why the specific performance data and certification listing matter.

How to Evaluate a PFAS Treatment Claim

When a manufacturer, salesperson, website, or advertisement says a system “removes PFAS,” I encourage homeowners to dig a little deeper.

Ask a few basic questions:

Which PFAS compounds was the system tested for?

PFAS describes a large family of chemicals. A claim involving specific compounds such as PFOA and PFOS should not automatically be interpreted as proof that a product removes every PFAS compound.

Was the product independently certified for that reduction claim?

Look for certification from a recognized third-party organization rather than relying solely on the manufacturer's own marketing materials.

Which exact model was certified?

Certification of one manufacturer's product doesn't necessarily mean every filter or system that company sells carries the same contaminant-reduction claims.

What standard was it certified under?

Understand whether the certification applies to filtration, reverse osmosis, or another treatment technology and which specific contaminant claims are included.

How long does the treatment remain effective?

Filters and membranes have capacities and replacement requirements. Performance when a filter is new doesn't mean it will perform indefinitely.

What maintenance is required?

A treatment system is only as good as its maintenance. Filters need to be replaced and systems maintained according to their specifications if homeowners expect them to continue performing as designed.

Be Careful With the Word “Removes”

This is one of the most important things I want homeowners to understand.

In water treatment, words matter.

There is a difference between saying a product reduces a contaminant and implying that it completely eliminates it under every possible condition.

Water chemistry varies. Contaminant concentrations vary. Flow rates, filter life, maintenance, and system design can all affect performance.

That's one reason reputable manufacturers tend to make very specific contaminant-reduction claims supported by testing rather than broad promises that a product “removes everything.”

If a claim sounds absolute, ask to see the certification and performance data behind it.

Reverse Osmosis and PFAS

Reverse osmosis is one technology that can be effective for reducing certain PFAS in drinking water when the system has been properly designed, tested, and certified for those claims.

One advantage of RO is that PFAS reduction doesn't necessarily have to be its only purpose.

Depending on the particular system and its certifications, reverse osmosis can reduce a range of dissolved substances and contaminants in drinking water. That may include nitrate, lead, arsenic, certain PFAS, dissolved minerals, salts, and other substances.

This is why I often encourage homeowners to look at drinking-water treatment from a broader perspective.

Rather than buying a filter because of the contaminant currently making headlines, start by understanding your water and what you want your drinking-water system to accomplish.

Then evaluate a system based on documented performance.

Testing Still Comes First

The same principle applies to PFAS that applies to nitrate, hardness, iron, arsenic, or almost any other water-quality concern:

Don't guess about your water. Test it.

For homeowners on public water, your water utility's Consumer Confidence Report can be a good place to start when understanding your water source and testing information.

Private-well owners may need to have their water analyzed by an appropriate laboratory if PFAS contamination is a concern.

PFAS testing is specialized, and because the concentrations involved can be extremely small, proper sampling and laboratory methods are important.

Once you know what's in the water, you can have a much more productive conversation about treatment.

The Bottom Line for Iowa Homeowners

PFAS deserve attention, but homeowners shouldn't have to make decisions based on fear.

Start with facts.

Understand your water source. Look at available testing data. Test when appropriate. If you decide to install treatment, ask specifically what contaminants the system is certified to reduce.

And don't be afraid to ask for proof.

Good water treatment isn't about making the biggest claim. It's about being able to document that the system does what you were told it would do.

About Brook Haas

Brook Haas is the owner of BrightWater Kinetico in Central Iowa and has more than 16 years of experience in the water-treatment industry. He works with homeowners, businesses, builders, and community organizations to better understand local water-quality challenges and identify appropriate treatment solutions.

Suggested website resources:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — PFAS and Drinking Water
NSF — PFAS Reduction and Drinking Water Treatment
Water Quality Association — Product Certification