Tool

What water filter do you actually need?

Most filter advice starts with the product. This starts with your water. Enter your city and we will show what EPA recorded there, which certification addresses it, and which verified products hold that certification. If your water shows nothing of concern, we will tell you that instead of selling you something.

Uses EPA UCMR 5 PFAS monitoring and Lead and Copper Rule results for 17,672 US water systems. Nothing here comes from a manufacturer.

How the matching works

There are only a few standards that matter, and knowing which is which is most of the battle.

NSF/ANSI 53 is the health-effects standard, certified contaminant by contaminant. A filter certified under 53 for lead may hold no PFAS certification whatsoever. The claim list is the thing to read, not the standard number.

NSF/ANSI 58 covers reverse osmosis, which physically excludes most dissolved contaminants and is the broadest household option.

NSF/ANSI 42 is aesthetic effects only: taste, odour, chlorine. It is not a weaker health certification, it is a different test entirely. Most cheap pitchers carry only this.

NSF/ANSI 372 certifies the filter's own components are lead-free. It is not a lead removal claim, and it is the single most misread label in this category.

What this tool will not do

It will not recommend a product whose certification we have not personally looked up in an accredited database. We have verified ten so far out of 180 we track, and the honest consequence is that some matches return nothing yet. We would rather show a gap than fill it with a product we have not checked.

It also cannot tell you about your building. Lead enters through service lines and household plumbing, so a system-wide figure describes the utility, not your tap. If your home predates the 1986 lead ban, treat lead as a live question regardless of what the city figure says.

Common questions

What water filter do I need for PFAS?
A filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 specifically for PFOA and PFOS reduction, or an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis system. Certification under NSF/ANSI 53 is granted contaminant by contaminant, so a filter certified for lead may have no PFAS certification at all. Check the exact model number in an accredited certifier's database.
What filter removes lead from water?
One certified under NSF/ANSI 53 for lead. Note that NSF/ANSI 372 is a different thing: it certifies the filter's own components are lead-free, not that it removes lead from your water. Many products carry 372 and no lead reduction claim.
Do I need a water filter at all?
Often not. EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring found no PFAS in the majority of systems tested, and many systems report low lead. If your water shows nothing of concern and your home has no lead service line, a filter buys you taste rather than safety. This tool will tell you when that is the case.
Does boiling water remove PFAS or lead?
No. Boiling concentrates both, because water evaporates and the contaminants remain. It kills bacteria, which is why boil-water notices exist, but it does nothing for chemical contaminants.

See the full record for your system

PFAS, lead and violation history for 17,672 US water systems.

National lookup All filters