Bottled water & filters
We don't score bottled water brands. Here's why, and what to check instead.
No US agency publishes brand-level contaminant results for bottled water. The FDA tested 197 products and never named one. Rather than invent scores to fill a page, this is the real state of the evidence and the checks you can run yourself in about a minute.
Verified products
Ten filters, checked model by model
Each was looked up by its exact model number in the NSF and WQA certification databases. Price bands rather than figures, because retail prices change weekly and a cached number is wrong within a month. The score reflects what an accredited body independently verified, never what the box claims. Each has a full review, and the complete filter directory lists every product we track with its verification status.
Aquasana AQ-5200 two-stage
Under sink · model AQ-5200.55Independently certified for both lead and PFOA/PFOS reduction. NSF 53: Asbestos, Cyst, Lead, Mercury, MTBE, PFOS, PFOA, Turbidity, VOC. PFOA/PFOS yes but NOT the broader PFAS suite, so total_pfas=no. Strongest pilot performer.
AquaTru Classic countertop RO
Reverse osmosis · model AQT Classic (part AT20Listing claims NSF/ANSI certification; not found in NSF or WQA
Not found in the NSF or WQA databases. The manufacturer certifies through IAPMO R&T, a third accredited body we have not yet checked, so we are withholding a score rather than calling it uncertified. Absent from BOTH NSF and WQA, yet the Amazon title asserts 'Certified NSF/ANSI Standards, Removes 84 Contaminants'. AquaTru certifies through IAPMO R&T, a third certifier not in your spec.
Multipure Aquaversa
Under sink · model MP750Independently certified for lead reduction. No certified PFAS claim. NSF lists as 'Aquaversa' with CB6 element, 750 gal, 0.75 gpm. NSF 53: asbestos, chlordane, cyst, lead, MTBE, mercury, PCB, toxaphene, turbidity, VOC. No PFAS claim.
Brita Elite pitcher filter
Pitcher · model BB01 (cert model OB06)Independently certified for lead reduction. No certified PFAS claim. Listed at WQA as LONGLAST/Elite OB06. NSF 53 claims: Asbestos, Benzene, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury. NO PFOA/PFOS. Amazon model BB01 does not match cert model OB06.
APEC ROES-50 Essence
Reverse osmosis · model ROES-50Marketing references contaminants the certification does not cover
Certified for aesthetic effects only: taste, odour and chlorine. No certified health-contaminant claim. IMPORTANT: ROES-50's ONLY NSF 58 claim is TDS reduction. The lead/arsenic/fluoride claims visible at APEC brand level belong to OTHER APEC models. NSF 372 = lead-free components, not lead reduction. Brand-level
Clearly Filtered Pitcher
Pitcher · model P-V3Marketing references contaminants the certification does not cover
Certified for aesthetic effects only: taste, odour and chlorine. No certified health-contaminant claim. Certified claims are Chlorine + Taste and Odor ONLY, 100 gal. NSF 372 is lead-FREE COMPONENT content, not lead reduction. Heavy PFAS marketing is not backed by any certified PFAS claim.
Brita Standard pitcher
Pitcher · model OB46/OB03Marketing references contaminants the certification does not cover
Certified for aesthetic effects only: taste, odour and chlorine. No certified health-contaminant claim. Pitcher ships with Standard (Legacy) filter OB03, certified to NSF/ANSI 42 ONLY - aesthetic effects, claim 'Not Applicable'. No health-effects (53) listing, so NO lead claim. Confirms the narrow-claim thesis.
Brita Standard replacement filters multipack
Replacement cartridges · model 35503 (cert model OB03Marketing references contaminants the certification does not cover
Certified for aesthetic effects only: taste, odour and chlorine. No certified health-contaminant claim. Same OB03 Legacy element as row 001: NSF/ANSI 42 only, no lead claim. Highest review count in the pilot at 227,161 - the volume leader is also the narrowest-certified.
Waterdrop G3P800 tankless
Reverse osmosis · model WD-G3P800-WNo certification found in the NSF or WQA databases. Not found in WQA (no results) or NSF (checked TradeName=G3P800, TradeName=Waterdrop, CompanyName=Qingdao Ecopure std 58). Waterdrop holds 555 NSF listings under 42/53/401 - mostly fridge filters - but no NSF 58
ZeroWater 5-stage pitcher
Pitcher · model ZP-010No certification found in the NSF or WQA databases. ZP-010 pitcher absent from NSF and WQA. Zero Technologies holds NSF 53 PFOA/PFOS ONLY on faucet-mount models ZFM-400CR/ZFM-400WH - not this pitcher. No lead claim anywhere. Listing title advertises PFOA/PFAS re
The evidence that exists
What has actually been tested, and what was found
Three real programmes have looked at bottled water. All three published findings in aggregate, none named products.
FDA retail survey, 2023–2024
The FDA sampled 197 domestic and imported bottled waters at retail, covering purified, artesian, spring and mineral types, and tested each for 18 PFAS. Ten samples had detectable PFAS. Eight were domestic purified or spring waters carrying one to four compounds; two were imported artesian waters carrying one or two. No sample exceeded the EPA drinking-water limits that take effect in 2029.
Massachusetts pilot programme
State health officials bought 287 bottled water samples across 9 out-of-state brands at retail in 2022, then 30 more samples from 3 in-state bottling plants in 2023, testing all of them for 18 PFAS by EPA method 537.1. Every result met the state and federal standards. Brands were counted, not named.
What none of it tells you
Which bottle on the shelf was one of the ten. That is the single question a shopper actually has, and no public dataset answers it. It is also why a per-brand score elsewhere on the internet deserves a hard look at its sourcing before you trust it.
Is bottled water safer than tap water?
Usually the reverse, on the evidence available. Bottled water is regulated by the FDA as a food; tap water is regulated by the EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA framework requires more frequent monitoring and, critically, an annual public report from every community water system. That is why we can score 30 US cities figure by figure and cannot score a single bottled brand: the cities publish, and the brands mostly do not.
The FDA survey is genuinely reassuring as far as it goes. Ten detections in 197 samples, none above the drinking-water limits, is a better result than many people assume. But 18 PFAS is a narrower panel than the 29 the EPA required of water utilities, and a snapshot of 197 products is not ongoing surveillance of a market with thousands of SKUs.
How to check a water filter in about a minute
This is the part where you have real power, because filter certification is public, product-specific, and free to search.
- Find the exact model number, not the brand or the product line. Certification applies model by model.
- Search it in NSF's certified products listing.
- Read which standards it holds. NSF/ANSI 42 is taste and odour only. NSF/ANSI 53 is health contaminants, listed one by one, so check that PFOA and PFOS appear by name. NSF/ANSI 58 is reverse osmosis and covers the broadest range.
- If the model is not in the database, it is not certified, whatever the box says. "Tested to NSF standards" is a company testing itself.
Two traps worth knowing. Lead certification and PFAS certification are both under standard 53 but are separate listings, so a filter certified for lead may do nothing for PFAS. And an expired cartridge can perform worse than no filter at all, because accumulated contaminants can release back into the water. NSF explains the lead standards here.
How to get a brand's own report
Bottlers in several states must make a water quality report available on request, and many publish one voluntarily. Ask for three specific things: the sample date, the detection limits, and whether PFAS was on the panel. A report without detection limits cannot support a "not detected" claim, because the limit is what "detected" is measured against. If a brand will not send one, that refusal is itself informative.
What we will publish, and when
When a brand score can be backed by a citable result, whether that is our own accredited lab work or a published dataset that names products, it goes on this page with its source attached like every other number on this site. Until then this page stays as it is. An empty section is recoverable; a fabricated one is not.
Common questions
Which bottled water brands have PFAS in them?
Is bottled water safer than tap water?
How do I check whether a water filter actually removes PFAS?
Why doesn't WaterKnown score individual bottled water brands?
Your tap water, we can actually score
The 50 largest US systems, every figure from a utility report or EPA monitoring data, every source linked.