Pitcher · model BB01 (cert model OB06)
Brita Elite review: this is the Brita filter with a lead claim
The Brita Elite filter is certified under NSF/ANSI 53 for five contaminants including lead, verified at WQA under the cert model OB06. Brita's Standard element, sold in the same aisle at a similar price, holds no lead claim at all. If lead is why you bought a Brita, Elite is the one you need.
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Two Brita filters, one lead claim
This is the most consequential thing on this page. Brita sells two main pitcher elements. The Standard (also sold as Legacy, cert model OB03) is certified to NSF/ANSI 42 only: taste, odour and chlorine. The Elite (previously Longlast, cert model OB06) is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for asbestos, benzene, cadmium, lead and mercury.
Both fit the same pitchers. Both sit on the same shelf. The price difference is small. And the one most people buy is the one without the lead claim.
What Elite does not cover
Five NSF/ANSI 53 claims is a real list, but PFOA and PFOS are not on it. Elite holds no PFAS certification. Heavy marketing across this category references "forever chemicals" in ways that certification does not support, so check the claim list rather than the box.
A model-number mismatch to know about
The Amazon listing we linked shows model BB01, while the certification is filed under OB06. These are the same filter under different naming conventions, retail versus certification. It is worth being aware of, because a mismatch like this is also exactly how an uncertified lookalike gets sold as the real thing. When in doubt, buy from a listing that names Brita as the seller.
What we have not tested
We have not run water through this filter or measured anything. The claims above come from the WQA certification listing. Whether it fits your pitcher, how fast it flows when new, and whether it lasts its rated 120 gallons in your water are questions the 55,000-plus owner reviews address better than we can.
Check it yourself
Everything above is verifiable in about a minute. Search the exact model number at NSF's certified products database or WQA's Gold Seal directory. Use the model number, not the brand: certification is granted per model, and brand-level results routinely describe a different product.
Common questions
Does the Brita Elite filter remove lead?
What is the difference between Brita Standard and Brita Elite?
Does the Brita Elite filter remove PFAS?
What you need depends on what's in your water
Look up your own utility's published figures before buying anything. A filter certified for the wrong contaminant is money spent on the wrong problem.