How do I make sure my tap water is safe?

Water that’s safe to drink shouldn’t be too much to ask for in the modern world. 

Yet even if you’ve turned to bottled water over worries about what might be coming out of your tap, news reports about the microplastics being found in bottled water—and in our bodies—is enough to make you wonder: How do I make sure my water is safe?

Three water contaminants 

Let’s take a closer look at three of the primary drinking water contaminants that Americans are concerned about: lead, PFAS and plastic. 

Lead

Virtually all lead contamination of drinking water occurs after water leaves the drinking water treatment plant. It comes from lead pipes, fixtures, faucets and fountains. The lead corrodes and dissolves or leaches into the water. This is even true with some fixtures that meet the current federal “lead-free” standard (which still permits lead levels of up to 0.25%).

With the plumbing systems that serve so many homes and businesses containing so much lead, contamination is widespread. Lead was detected at homes receiving water from public systems serving 251 million Americans at various times from 2021 to 2024, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Our own research partners have found that lead contamination is also pervasive at schools around the country. Lead is known to cause learning disabilities and lowered IQ in children. 

PFAS, the ‘forever chemicals’ 

Although less widely known than lead, PFAS (or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a growing threat to Americans’ drinking water. PFAS have been linked to fertility problems, development delays in children, prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer and numerous other health conditions, but they are still being used in many types of clothing, plastic, furniture and even stain-resistant pans. 

Since PFAS appear in so many household products, it’s easy for these chemicals to infiltrate water systems, whether through washing PFAS-laden clothes or non-stick pans. And once PFAS are in the water, in most states your utilities aren’t required to remove them. New federal standards against PFAS chemicals won’t go into effect until 2027. Right now, as many as 26 million Americans may have PFAS in their drinking water. 

PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down naturally. That means that they can accumulate for years in soil, water and even people’s bodies. 

Plastic

Since plastic doesn’t ever completely decompose, our country’s millions of tons of plastic waste eventually break down into smaller and smaller pieces. You may have seen disturbing news stories about these microplastics being found in people’s blood and brains. 

Bottled water contributes to the problem. One recent study found almost a quarter of a million pieces of nanoplastic (which is really small microplastic) in a typical liter of bottled water. And studies have shown a link between microplastics and a host of health problems, including reduced infant weight and colon cancer. 

These are serious threats. How, then, can you protect yourself and your family from unsafe drinking water? Here’s our guide to keeping lead, PFAS and microplastic out of your water. 

How to keep your water safe from lead

The first easy, low-cost step is to use a filter that removes lead. There are filters that can be inserted into a pitcher, mounted on a faucet, or installed under your kitchen sink. 

Whichever type you choose, make sure the filter is certified to remove lead — you want a NSF/ANSI 53 and 42 certification on filters. Make sure to replace your filters regularly, so they keep your water safe.

As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Even if you have a good filter, you probably may want to “get the lead out” at the source. Here’s how to see if the pipe bringing water into your house — called a service line — is made of lead. Under a new EPA rule, water utilities must fully replace these toxic pipes over the next 10 years. If your service line does contain lead, you can ask your water utility about replacing your pipe sooner. 

In California, a new law requires new fixtures to meet a more stringent standard to prevent lead contamination. So if you are looking to replace a faucet in your house, look for those meeting a the “Q<1 standard” under California law.

Finally, testing your water for lead will not ensure that it is safe. According to top water experts, lead concentrations in water are so variable that a tap can still be “highly hazardous” even after multiple tests fail to detect lead. So filter first. Then get the lead out where you can.

How to keep your water safe from PFAS

As with lead, the best way to protect yourself from PFAS chemicals is by using a filter. We don’t recommend testing your water for PFAS because the tests are very expensive, especially when you’re testing for multiple forever chemicals — there are more than 12,000 different PFAS chemicals out there. 

Fortunately, there are now some filters on the market that are certified to remove at least some types of PFAS.  For example, the Water Sentry filters by Zurn Elkay and Travel Berkey Water Filter are good places to start. 

To avoid microplastics, filtering your water is the best choice too

The best way to avoid microplastics in your water is to avoid plastic water bottles altogether. We recommend using glass and steel water bottles instead of plastic ones.

Also, don’t store drinking water in plastic. Plastic leaches over time and storing water in plastic gives it more of an opportunity to seep into the water, and therefore your body. 

As with lead and PFAS, filtering tap water can help minimize microplastics, too. Aim for filters that use reverse osmosis, distillation and ultrafiltration, as these are the most effective. 

To sum up, if you want to ensure that your tap water is safe, you should carefully select filters that will protect your family from the most dangerous pollutants. But while filters are a good way to keep a single household safe, they aren’t a permanent solution. That’s why PIRG is urging decision-makers to protect the public by stopping the inflow of toxic chemicals and filtering out what’s already there. Here’s one step you can take right now.