Health disclaimer
WaterJury compares home water filters and water tests on certifier listings, brand data sheets and tests published by other people. Nothing on this site is medical advice, and it doesn't replace a conversation with your doctor or a test of your own water.
What the site does and doesn't do
Our pages describe products and the public records behind them. We don't diagnose conditions, we don't say whether your water is safe to drink, and we don't recommend treatment for any health condition. When a claim has no public source behind it, we say whose claim it is: the brand's or the owners'.
What a certifier listing means
A listing by a certifier with ANSI accreditation (CSA, IAPMO R&T, NSF, UL or WQA) means that model was tested to a public standard for the substances named in the listing, at the conditions of the test. It doesn't mean those substances are in your water, and it doesn't cover anything not named. The contaminants or other substances removed or reduced by a water treatment device are not necessarily in your water.
The EPA doesn't endorse commercial products (EPA, certified PFAS filters). For filters, it points buyers to certification by one of those five accredited bodies instead (EPA, home filters), so no filter has an EPA approval, whatever its product page says.
TDS meters measure dissolved minerals and salts. A low TDS reading says nothing about lead, PFAS or bacteria. The EPA lists total dissolved solids among the secondary contaminants: their limits are set for taste, color and odor, and at those limits the EPA doesn't consider them a health risk (EPA, secondary standards).
Your water, not a database
Our city and state pages describe a water system from the EPA's records and the utility's own report. They describe the system, not your tap. Lead, for example, usually gets into water from the pipes, solder and fixtures in a building, so two homes on the same system can differ (EPA, lead in drinking water). Your utility's water quality report, the Consumer Confidence Report, is the first place to look (EPA, CCRs). A lab test of your own tap is the second.
Ask a doctor, a lab or your utility if
- you are pregnant or have an infant or young child and your building may have lead pipes or fixtures: the EPA says children and fetuses are especially vulnerable to lead (EPA);
- your immune system is weakened: the CDC notes that most people with healthy immune systems recover from a Cryptosporidium infection without treatment (CDC), and when the water is in doubt it lists bottled water, boiled water or a filter labeled NSF 53 or 58 for it (CDC, preventing Crypto);
- your utility or state has reported PFAS above the EPA's limits for your system (EPA, PFAS);
- you are on a private well: federal drinking water rules don't cover it, so the owner is responsible (EPA, private wells), and the CDC advises a state-certified lab test at least once a year for bacteria, nitrates and more (CDC, testing well water);
- your water looks, smells or tastes different from one day to the next, or your utility has issued a boil-water notice.
Evidence and claims
Where a page discusses what a substance does or what a filter type can do about it, it links the source and rates the evidence as strong, moderate, limited or none. The scale is on How we research water filters.
If something goes wrong
If you suspect your water made you ill, contact your doctor and your utility. Water quality complaints go to your state drinking water program, and the EPA takes drinking water questions through an online form (EPA, safe drinking water information).