45% of US Drinking Water Has Carcinogenic "Forever Chemicals"? Is It Time For A Portable Water Filter?

by Ryan Vagabundo

"PFAS" have been all over the news lately, and it's not good news. PFAS is shorthand for a collection of six polyfluorinated chemicals that have been used since 1940 in a wide variety of products that repel water, grease or stains; stuff like non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, food packaging, and so on. The problem is that they are increasingly being tied to a variety of health conditions, there are presently no federal standards for their presence in drinking water ... and it's turning out that they're widely present in drinking water. 

The big issue with PFAS is that they accumulate in the body. A little once in a great while probably won't hurt, but depending on the type, they can stick around inside you for up to five years. If you get a bunch accumulating, you may be upping your risk for a variety of unpleasant health conditions: kidney and testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and high cholesterol, among what science has hit upon thus far. 

Now, before you freak out about poison in the water, most of the links to these conditions have been found in animal tests. Human testing often turns out very differently (but nobody really wants to be the guinea pig either). You should also check the local water system findings where you are (and plan to be). Exposure appears to vary GREATLY by location; some cities, towns and even entire states appear to be fine, others are riddled with contaminated water systems. This national map appears to indicate the problem is mostly in California's biggest cities, a lot of the East Coast, and a number of other specific states scattered around (Alabama, Colorado, Illinois and Ohio). The main link seems to be wherever companies dump large amounts into public wastewater systems, which is still broadly legal pending the EPA's involvement (which won't come until 2024 at the earliest). There is also a link to military bases, which they always seem to be present at, even in states that don't otherwise have a problem anywhere else. You can get more detailed information about a particular zip code at this link.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FILTER PFAS WHILE TRAVELING?

So your local water is testing above the safe limit for PFAS, or you're going somewhere that has issues. Government help is probably not forthcoming for at least a year, if ever. What do?

Fortunately, there are studies that show certain kinds of filters are quite effective in removing PFAS from water. Unfortunately, it tends to be the big and expensive ones that do the best job. You can apparently get 90%+ removal from reverse osmosis and two-stage filters, the big kind usually mounted under a sink or on a house's water line somewhere. 

There are a variety of countertop reverse osmosis filters, but I'm not clear on whether they operate as well as their bigger counterparts or have been specifically tested for PFAS removal. Some are also technically portable, but much better for vehicle travel where you have plenty of space than trying to get them into luggage. The cheapest countertop models seem to run around $70 to $100, and they range in price up to $350 where you can start getting some electronic models that look kinda like Keurig machines. Countertop two-stage filters seem to have the same issues with size and are about the same price range. 

If you need to get something into a backpack or suitcase, you're stuck with more basic activated carbon filters. However, the good news is that these basic filters still removed 73% of PFAS in a John Hopkins study (carbon is a fundamental element of reverse osmosis, there's just more steps to it). They're also not bad to have just generally if you plan to go out to the backcountry, where available water might be questionable for all sorts of other reasons. 

But, while more portable, these aren't tremendously cheaper. You're looking at the upper end of portable bottles and filters, with price points of around $100 USD. Some of the leading examples are:

> Grayl Geopress ($90-100)  

> LifeSaver Wayfarer ($95-105)  

> Katadyn Vario ($100-125) 

The cheapest potential solution I've run across thus far is the HydroBlu Versa Flow, a well-regarded 2 oz. carry weight filter for more general stuff. It retails for only around $25, but the stock model does not have carbon filtering. However, you can add on a active carbon filter that they sell for only an additional $10 or so.

Some other similar popular filters can also be jerry-rigged in this way, for example here's a video of a DIY addition to the popular Sawyer Squeeze, which retails for about $30.