What are PFAS? What are forever chemicals? Where do they come from?

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) are the two most prevalent forever (PFAS) chemicals used to make nonstick cookware, personal care products and many everyday items. When the remains of these products are discarded, PFOA/PFOS leak into our soil and water because they don’t degrade easily, which means we end up ingesting these harmful chemicals.

Source: *epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas

Lead

More than 9 million water service pipes in the U.S. are made of lead, and when they corrode, lead can leach into the water. Because you can’t smell, see or taste lead, it’s not easily detectable and harmful, especially to children. Lead exposure can damage the brain, spinal cord and nerves, cause learning disabilities and more.

Source: EPA.gov

Cysts

Cysts are parasites that enter drinking water from human and animal waste, which can lead to gastrointestinal illness such as dysentery, vomiting and cramps.

Source: EPA.gov

Sediment & class I particulate

Sediment comes from sand, rocks and minerals, or may consist of organic particles of plants and microbes. Not only is sediment harmful to ingest, but too much of it can prohibit your filter from working properly, leading to cloudy, contaminated water. When large amounts of sediment clog your filter, it won’t properly filter out lead, microplastics and other contaminants you’re trying to avoid ingesting.

If you live in an area where sediment pollution is high, consider adding one of our universal sediment prefilters for a two-stage filtration process. Not sure if you live in a high-sediment area? Stay up to date on your state’s water quality or visit your city’s public water site.

Source: Water Systems Council

Chlorine taste & odor

Water can be contaminated at the source and as it travels through piping, which is why many water companies add chlorine as a disinfectant. However, it can leave an undesirable taste and smell. 

Source: CDC.gov  

What are microplastics? Where are they found?

When plastic in landfills breaks down or weathers, smaller plastic particles form. These microplastics that are smaller than 5 millimeters end up everywhere — in our waterways, seafood, milk, chicken, the list goes on. This means we could be ingesting tiny bits of plastic daily.

How to minimize microplastic consumption?

Although it’s almost impossible to avoid microplastics because they’re in the air that we breathe, there are ways to minimize exposure. Instead of plastic shopping bags and single-use plastic bottles, opt for tote bags and reusable water bottles. Fill reusable bottles with filtered water — Elkay filters are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI 42 and 53 to reduce microplastics. Heat food in glass containers instead of plastic ones, which can release millions of microplastic particles in your food.

How do microplastics affect me?

A study by the University of Newcastle, Australia suggests the average person could be ingesting enough plastic equivalent to a whole credit card — that’s about five grams.³  This is the result of consuming common food and beverage, meaning, our regular meals may contain this amount of plastic.

What is lead? Where does it come from?

For centuries, lead has been widely used in plumbing systems that transport water. Despite changes in plumbing codes making it illegal to use lead pipes or solder, lead is still found in older pipes, solder and brass fittings in existing plumbing systems. Lead is toxic and continuous exposure can cause a variety of health problems, especially in infants and children. Please visit epa.gov/lead to learn more.

Do your products reduce lead?

Select WaterSentry® filtration systems reduce lead to meet the requirements necessary to achieve our NSF/ANSI 53 certification, making the water cleaner and healthier.

Water delivery product examples include:

• Elkay Filtered Bottle Filling Stations.
• Elkay Filtered Water Coolers.

Our filters are also sold separately and can be retrofitted onto any existing Elkay or non-Elkay branded water cooler, fountain or bottle filling station with Elkay’s vandal-resistant retrofit filtration kit. Kits are available with and without a filter status monitor and alert.

Do your products contain lead?

No. Our drinking water products have been lead free for more than two decades. They are certified to NSF/ANSI 372 as lead free by the Water Quality Association.

How does Elkay test its filters?

Elkay tests and certifies our filters to NSF/ANSI Standard 53."NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for Drinking Water Treatment Units is the nationally recognized standard for evaluating and certifying drinking water treatment systems for the reduction of contaminants from drinking water. Water filters are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to ensure they reduce contaminants, including lead, per the requirements of the standard" (Certified Product Listing, NSF).