Do PUR Filters Remove PFAS?

PUR filters are great at removing various materials, contaminants, and additives from drinking water through a high-quality filtration process. But can PUR filters remove PFAS from your tap water, too?

Duke University tested PUR filters and found they only remove 37% of PFAS in drinking water. PUR filters are not suitable for filtering PFAS from drinking water because they do not reduce the levels of PFAS to drinking water standards. For this reason, you should NOT use a PUR filter to treat water contaminated with PFAS.

Keep reading to learn more about PFAS, the health risks they may pose, and how to eliminate PFAS from your family’s water from your own home.

Read my article Do Pitcher Filters Remove PFAS.

Table of Contents

Can PUR Filters Capture PFAS?

PUR filters are great at treating contaminants like lead, mercury, and zinc but don’t do quite as well with finer particles. PFAS are simply too small and resilient to be consistently captured by a PUR home filter.

While a PUR filter may help reduce the overall number of PFAS particles in some cases, it can not filter out these substances as unfailingly and confidently as it can filter out standard contaminants and heavy metals.

So, if PFAS are a concern for you, PUR filters shouldn’t be your first line of defense. To better understand why, it may be helpful to understand what, exactly, PFAS are, and why they’re so hard to strain out of water.

PUR Water Filters and PFAS Removal

PUR makes a variety of filters to purify your tap water. They offer five filters for their pitchers, faucet systems, and dispensers.

PUR Pitcher Filter
PUR Faucet Filter
PUR Plus Pitcher
PUR Plus Faucet
PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter

The following table shows the compatibility of each PUR filter with their filter configurations.

Filter Type	Pitcher	Faucet	Dispenser
PUR Pitcher Filter	✓	×	✓
PUR Faucet Filter	×	✓	×
PUR Plus Pitcher	✓	×	✓
PUR Plus Faucet	×	✓	×
PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter	×	✓	×

PUR Pitcher Filter and PFAS treatment

The PUR pitcher filter is designed to treat water in all of the pitcher and dispenser filter systems. These filters are not NSF certified for PFAS removal and PUR makes no claims that their filter is suitable for treating water contaminated with PFAS.

The PUR pitcher filter uses a combination of activated carbon and a particulate filter to purify your water. Activated carbon is an effective treatment method for removing PFAS compounds from water. However, this filter does not contain enough carbon to remove all of these forever chemicals and should not be used as a treatment method for drinking water contaminated with PFAS.

PUR Faucet Filter and PFAS treatment

The PUR faucet filter is made for use in all faucet-based filtration systems. PUR makes no claims about using this filter for PFAS removal. In addition, this filter is not NSF certified for PFAS removal.

The PUR faucet filter has both activated carbon and a particulate filter to treat water. Activated carbon can effectively eliminate PFAS compounds present in water. Unfortunately, this filter does not have enough carbon to remove all of the PFAS, and it is not recommended as a treatment solution for drinking water contaminated with PFAS.

PUR Plus Pitcher and PFAS treatment

The PUR Plus Pitcher is specially designed to work effectively with pitcher-based water filtration systems. However, it’s important to note that these filters don’t have NSF certification for PFAS removal, and PUR doesn’t claim that they are suitable for handling water that contains PFAS.

In order to clean the water, the PUR Plus Pitcher filter uses a combination of activated carbon and a particulate filter. Activated carbon is a proven method for reducing PFAS compounds in water. Despite this, the filter doesn’t have enough carbon to completely remove all the PFAS compounds. As a result, the PUR Plus Pitcher filter is not the best option for treating drinking water that’s contaminated with PFAS.

PUR Plus Faucet and PFAS treatment

The PUR Plus Faucet filter is specifically designed to function efficiently with faucet-mounted water filtration systems. It’s important to know that these filters do not have NSF certification for PFAS removal, and PUR has not stated that they can handle water containing PFAS.

To purify the water, the PUR Plus Faucet filter employs a dual approach, using both activated carbon and a particulate filter. Activated carbon has been proven to be effective in reducing PFAS compounds found in water. However, the filter lacks an adequate amount of carbon to fully eliminate all of the PFAS, and, therefore, the PUR Plus Faucet filter should not be considered a standalone solution for treating drinking water contaminated with PFAS.

PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter and PFAS treatment

The PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter is specifically created to work optimally with faucet-based water filtration systems. Keep in mind that these filters are not NSF certified for PFAS removal, and PUR does not claim they are appropriate for managing water with PFAS content.

To cleanse the water, the PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter relies on a dual-action system, which includes activated carbon and a particulate filter. Activated carbon is known to be effective in mitigating PFAS compounds present in water. However, the filter does not contain a sufficient quantity of carbon to fully remove all PFAS. As a result, the PUR Plus Mineral Core Faucet Filter is not recommended as a reliable treatment method for drinking water that is contaminated with PFAS.

The following table provides an overview of the PUR pitcher and faucet filter systems.

Feature	Pitcher Filters	Faucet Filters
PFAS Reduction	37%	38.7%
Service Life	2 months	3 months
Filter Capacity	100 gallons	150 gallons
Certifications/Testing	NSF 53 (lead)	NSF 53 (lead)
Annual Cost	$180	$120
Warranty	90 days	2 years

Pitcher Filters and PFAS Treatment: Duke University Study

Duke University conducted research on pitcher filters to determine their effectiveness in removing PFAS from drinking water. The study discovered that pour-through filters eliminated about 50% of PFAS compounds on average.

In this research, 13 filter units were tested for their ability to treat PFAS. The average removal efficiency for pitcher filters was 52%. The lowest efficiency recorded was 8.3%, while the highest was an impressive 99%.

How well do pitcher filters treat PFAS?

The study also found differences in PFAS removal based on the length of the chemical chains. Long-chain molecules were removed more effectively than short-chain ones.

As for the performance of different brands, the results showed that some brands were more successful than others. There was also some variation within a single company’s range of models.

Berkey and Aquasana stood out with the best PFAS removal rates among pitcher filters, at 98.8% and 99% respectively. Brita filters displayed inconsistent performance, ranging from 8.3% to 77.3%. In some tests, they removed most contaminants, while in others, they removed very little. PUR filters had the least effective PFAS removal among all the brands tested.

Table – Pitcher Filter PFAS Sampling Results

Brand	Age of Filter (months)	Total PFAS Tap Water	Total PFAS Treated Water	Percent Removal
Brita	1	57.2 ppt	13.0 ppt	77.3%
PUR	1.5	14.6 ppt	9.4 ppt	35.6%
Berkey	12	16.1 ppt	0.2 ppt	98.8%
Berkey	6	14.1 ppt	2.0 ppt	85.8%
Berkey	24	68.7 ppt	30.7 ppt	55.3%
Zero Water	1	17.8 ppt	2.5 ppt	86.0%
Brita	1	56.9 ppt	50.0 ppt	12.1%
PUR	1	647.6 ppt	397 ppt	38.7%
Aquasana	3	48.3 ppt	0.5 ppt	99.0%
Brita	1	13.2 ppt	6.2 ppt	53.0%
Brita	6	23.0 ppt	21.1 ppt	8.3%

The researchers discovered that no pitcher filter can remove 100% of PFAS contaminants in drinking water! Based on these results, would you want your family drinking water that was only treated with a PUR filter? I wouldn’t.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS is short for “perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances” and are highly complex, synthetic substances that have been widely used in an almost countless number of products since the 1950s. They’re man-made substances that help keep our modern world fresh, clean, and functional, but their very omnipresence has caused some to raise concerns.

You see, PFAS are found in everything from food to clothing, to industrial products, to car parts. They’re so ubiquitous that it is difficult not to come into contact with them. So much so that PFAS have been found in measurable quantities in human blood samples across the industrialized world.

Even domesticated and wild animals have been found with PFAS in their bloodstream. Much like microplastics, and for many of the same reasons, PFAS have unintentionally become a part of the very fabric of our bodies and of the otherwise natural world. Present in the air, soil, and water as well, PFAS are frustratingly difficult to remove and resist decomposition.

This is because PFAS contain links of artificially-bonded carbon and fluorine atoms which are especially resilient and resist breaking down as most other substances normally would. These links are also very minuscule and are difficult to remove from water, even with high-quality and especially fine filters.

So, PFAS are, essentially, everywhere. But are they harmful? Are there any risks involved in consuming PFAS through drinking water or by other means?

Are PFAS in My Water Dangerous?

The question of whether or not PFAS are dangerous is a still-debated topic. While we still don’t know a lot about the long-term health risks of PFAS exposure, studies have linked higher PFAS levels in the human body to

Cancers
Liver problems
Cardiovascular issues
Infertility
Immunotoxicity
Reduced effectiveness of vaccines in children
Abnormally blood pressure in pregnant women
Birth defects
Lower birth weight in infants

These possible links to poor health and complications are still being studied. This is made more difficult by the tendency to replace potentially unsafe forms of PFAS with newer yet possibly equally risky forms of the same. In other words, as one form of PFAS material is removed from packaging and products due to health risks, other forms are developed to take their place, and the possible long-term dangers of these newer PFAS materials are not yet known.

And these substances are so common and yet so undeniably unnatural that it is safe to assume that health dangers due to long-term exposure or blood levels are possible, if not likely. Just as we have yet to fully understand the risks of microplastic in our food, water, and bloodstream, we have yet to fully understand the possible perils of PFAS.

But if you are worried about these substances, you’re not alone. So if PUR water filters are not the best way to remove PFAS from water, what options do you have?

How Can I Remove PFAS Safely?

The safest way to remove PFAS from your drinking water is through a home reverse osmosis or water distillation system. These devices are quite a bit more expensive than PUR filters but can help to remove most or all of the substances, minerals, and particles that standard home filters miss.

These water filtration methods and devices correspond to and should carry an NSF rating of 58 or 62. It is best to buy from a reputable company with high standards to ensure the highest levels of purification and water safety possible.

It may also be helpful to buy bottled water from brands like Dasani and Aquafina, which use distillation techniques to help remove micro-impurities (like PFAS) from their products. Make sure that your bottled water is not simply spring water but is distilled or passed through a reverse osmosis system, as even natural water sources may contain PFAS, thanks to contamination from nearby factories, farms, or human settlements.

Conclusion

PUR filters can not remove consistent quantities of PFAS. Found in many modern products and materials, PFAS are carbon-and-fluorine-based synthetic substances that are especially reliant and tiny and have been found in soil, water, and even the human bloodstream.

While the safety of PFAS is still being debated and studied, evidence is growing that links them to fertility problems, cancers, birth defects, and reduced immune strength, and reducing contact with them may be advisable. This makes PFAS a growing concern for many health officials, environmental groups, and individual consumers.

The best way to avoid consuming PFAS in water is through a home reverse osmosis or distillation device, which is NSF rated at 58 or 62. You may also wish to purchase bottled water from brands that use these processes, such as Dasani and Aquafina.