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Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass)

Publication ,  Journal Article
Herkert, NJ; Merrill, J; Peters, C; Bollinger, D; Zhang, S; Hoffman, K; Ferguson, PL; Knappe, DRU; Stapleton, HM
Published in: Environmental Science and Technology Letters
March 10, 2020

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have come under increased scrutiny due to concerns about their potential toxicity and prevalence in the environment, particularly drinking water. PFASs are difficult to remove in full-scale water treatment systems because of their physicochemical properties. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) residential drinking water filters in removing a suite of three perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids, seven perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, and six per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids in homes in central (n = 61) and southeastern (n = 12) North Carolina. POU systems included countertop and pitcher filters, faucet-mounted filters, activated carbon block refrigerator filters, activated carbon block under-sink filters, under-sink dual-stage filters, and under-sink reverse osmosis filters. All under-sink dual-stage and reverse osmosis filters tested showed near complete removal for all PFASs evaluated. In contrast, all other filters containing activated carbon exhibited variable PFAS removal. In these filters, PFAS removal efficiency was dependent on chain length, with long-chain PFASs (∼60-70% removal) being more efficiently removed than short-chain PFASs (∼40% removal). A few whole-house activated carbon POE systems (n = 8) were also evaluated; however, results were variable, and in some cases (four of eight systems), increased PFAS levels were observed in the filtered water.

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Published In

Environmental Science and Technology Letters

DOI

EISSN

2328-8930

Publication Date

March 10, 2020

Volume

7

Issue

3

Start / End Page

178 / 184

Related Subject Headings

  • 4105 Pollution and contamination
  • 4004 Chemical engineering
  • 1002 Environmental Biotechnology
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
 

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Herkert, N. J., Merrill, J., Peters, C., Bollinger, D., Zhang, S., Hoffman, K., … Stapleton, H. M. (2020). Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass). Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 7(3), 178–184. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00004
Herkert, N. J., J. Merrill, C. Peters, D. Bollinger, S. Zhang, K. Hoffman, P. L. Ferguson, D. R. U. Knappe, and H. M. Stapleton. “Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass).” Environmental Science and Technology Letters 7, no. 3 (March 10, 2020): 178–84. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00004.
Herkert NJ, Merrill J, Peters C, Bollinger D, Zhang S, Hoffman K, et al. Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass). Environmental Science and Technology Letters. 2020 Mar 10;7(3):178–84.
Herkert, N. J., et al. “Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass).” Environmental Science and Technology Letters, vol. 7, no. 3, Mar. 2020, pp. 178–84. Scopus, doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00004.
Herkert NJ, Merrill J, Peters C, Bollinger D, Zhang S, Hoffman K, Ferguson PL, Knappe DRU, Stapleton HM. Assessing the effectiveness of point-of-use residential drinking water filters for perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass). Environmental Science and Technology Letters. 2020 Mar 10;7(3):178–184.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environmental Science and Technology Letters

DOI

EISSN

2328-8930

Publication Date

March 10, 2020

Volume

7

Issue

3

Start / End Page

178 / 184

Related Subject Headings

  • 4105 Pollution and contamination
  • 4004 Chemical engineering
  • 1002 Environmental Biotechnology
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management