PFAS filtration*: Safely remove contaminants from drinking water—not just reduce them*.

Whether water-repellent outdoor clothing, coated food packaging, or cookware (keyword: "Teflon pan"), so-called PFAS are used in numerous sectors and industries because of their water-, grease-, and dirt-repellent properties. From a health perspective, however, these "forever chemicals," which are difficult to break down, are now considered problematic because they accumulate in the human body and can have negative effects on organs and the bloodstream. Individual compounds are suspected of promoting functional disorders, for example, of the liver or kidneys.

This issue is particularly relevant in the context of drinking water supply. PFAS can enter the environment—and thus tap water—through industrial discharges, contaminated soil, or wastewater treatment plants, where they can sometimes persist indefinitely. Indeed, relevant tests have already detected PFAS in groundwater and drinking water in some regions. To safely remove PFAS from drinking water*, effective filtration technologies are therefore required—ideally ones that do not rely on additional harmful chemicals.

What are PFAS—and what effects do they have on our health?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short, are a group of over 10,000 chemicals that are used to coat surfaces with a water-, grease-, or dirt-repellent coating. Unlike resins and waxes, for example, which occur in both natural and synthetic forms, PFAS can only be produced artificially.

Possible applications: PFAS in industry and everyday life

PFAS have been used in numerous sectors and industries since the 1940s. For example, they can be found in

• Food packaging and paper coatings.
• Cosmetics and medical devices.
• Non-stick cookware and coated kitchen utensils (e.g., Teflon pans, waffle irons, or contact grills).
• Impregnation of outdoor clothing/equipment.
• Firefighting foams containing PFAS, for example at airports and military bases.

Once released, PFAS can accumulate in soil and water and ultimately enter the human body via food or groundwater and drinking water.

How PFAS get into groundwater and drinking water

PFAS in drinking water: What does this mean for our health?

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has documented health risks for four particularly critical PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFHxS). PFAS are associated with liver problems, effects on the immune and endocrine systems, and an increased risk of certain types of cancer, among other things.

Short-chain PFAS, such as trifluoroacetate (TFA), spread particularly quickly in the water cycle. They have also been found in drinking water in some regions of Germany. Long-chain PFAS, on the other hand, accumulate mainly in micro-organisms. They can ultimately reach humans via the food chain.

A (small) step in the right direction: What will apply in Germany from 2026/2028?

Germany will introduce national PFAS limits for drinking water for the first time with the implementation of the EU Drinking Water Directive from 2026. The new regulations aim to gradually tighten restrictions with the goal of minimizing the health risks posed by "forever chemicals" in the long term.

Legal basis: New limits for PFAS in drinking water

Since January 12, 2026, specific limits for PFAS in drinking water have been in force in Germany for the first time. These values are based on the EU Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184.

When implementing the directive, member states can choose between two options: a limit value for the total amount of all PFAS ("total PFAS") or a value for the sum of individual, specific PFAS. Germany has opted for the second option.

The binding limit values are as follows:

1. From January 12, 2026: Limit value of 0.10 micrograms per liter for the sum of 20 different PFAS.
2. From 2028: Stricter limits for four additional PFAS (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFNA) that pose a health risk, with a maximum combined concentration of 0.02 micrograms per liter.

Although the "PFAS-20" covers a wide range of PFAS compounds that are harmful to health, it does not take into account the different toxicological properties of the individual substances. For this reason, an even stricter limit value of 0.02 micrograms ("PFAS-4") will apply from 2028.

Outlook: Responsibilities and challenges for water suppliers and end consumers

With the new drinking water supply regulations coming into force, water suppliers and operators of commercial drinking water systems, as well as private individuals with their own wells, will be obliged to monitor PFAS regularly in future and to respond promptly if any abnormalities are detected. Many municipal suppliers have therefore already begun additional risk analyses and measurement campaigns before the deadline in order to gain clarity at an early stage as to whether and to what extent their region is affected by PFAS.

Particularly in regions where elevated PFAS levels have been detected in the past, it may also be advisable for consumers to take additional precautionary measures to specifically remove potentially harmful substances from the water, for example, by using a special PFAS water filter*.

How-to: Which methods safely remove PFAS from drinking water*?

Three processes have proven to be particularly effective in water treatment:

Activated carbon filters, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis.

However, not every method is equally suitable for reliably filtering PFAS out of drinking water. This is mainly due to the different chemical compositions of the individual substance groups: while long-chain PFAS are reliably retained by most filter systems, short-chain compounds (such as TFA) are not so easy to remove. Which filter technology is suitable in each individual case therefore depends on several factors.

Activated carbon filter

ion exchanger

Ion exchangers can bind certain long-chain PFAS such as PFOS or PFOA. Removal is based on electrostatic interactions with the exchange material. Short-chain PFAS and highly mobile compounds such as TFA are not removed by ion exchangers, or only to an insufficient degree. In real drinking water operations, filter performance is also rapidly reduced by competing anions.

Regeneration of the material is usually not practical in the PFAS context; contaminated resins are generally disposed of. Activated carbon can improve service life, but is also not suitable for reliably removing short-chain PFAS.

Reverse osmosis

Combined systems

Each method has different advantages and disadvantages. The gold standard among filter systems is therefore a combination of several filter methods. In practice, this could look like this, for example:

1. An upstream activated carbon stage reduces organic substances and relieves the membrane.
2. The subsequent reverse osmosis process also reliably* removes short-chain PFAS from the water.

Ultimately, multi-stage systems achieve documented removal rates of over 99 percent*, without the use of any additional harmful chemicals. Simpler table-top filter jugs or activated carbon cartridges alone, with their short contact time, are only suitable to a limited extent.

Evodrop PFAS Water Filters: Safely Remove “Forever Chemicals”*

For households that want to reliably remove PFAS from their tap water*, Evodrop offers a filtration system that combines various physical processes in a single unit. The following table provides an overview of the different filtration methods and clearly shows why combination systems deliver significantly better results than methods used individually:

Evodrop uses multiple filtration stages: activated carbon, specialized adsorbent materials, ion exchange, and fine-pore membranes. These individual processes are coordinated to effectively remove both long- and short-chain PFAS*, without the use of any chemical additives.

Advantages over market standard:

• Additional membrane and adsorption stages also capture short-chain PFAS*, against which simple activated carbon filters or countertop water filters are usually only partially effective.
• Tests conducted by independent, accredited Swiss laboratories (e.g., Veritas, SGS) show that central home water systems reduce the PFAS tested to below the respective detection limit (>99.99 percent)*, while under-sink systems—depending on the configuration—reduce them by 97 to over 99.99 percent*.
• The tests follow recognized analytical procedures, such as those used in drinking water monitoring.

With the help of our innovative filtration solutions, PFAS* and other contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics can be significantly reduced.

Our solutions Filter solutions at a glance

Step by step. From initial analysis to PFAS-free drinking water

1. Water analysis: Accredited laboratories analyze your drinking water samples for PFAS and then compare the values with the requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance (PFAS-20 and PFAS-4). If necessary, they also test for short-chain PFAS such as TFA.
2. Determinesystem size: For a four-person household, an under-sink system with a total capacity of around 10,000 liters is usually sufficient, which typically covers more than a year of operation. Commercial enterprises or apartment buildings, on the other hand, require central systems with higher throughput.
3. Installation: Trained EVODROP partners will then install the filter system, either behind the water meter in the house connection area or under the sink to save space, depending on the type of system.
4. Maintenance: Activated carbon stages should generally be replaced every 6 to 12 months. With a maintenance contract, you will automatically receive replacement filters and be reminded in good time when they need to be replaced.

Operators who are required to monitor drinking water regularly, such as landlords, restaurants, or facilities with their own water supply, can document the effectiveness of the filter through follow-up analyses.

EVODROP arranges for accredited laboratories to test samples using recognized PFAS analysis methods such as EPA 533 and EPA 537 and confirm whether the limit values for PFAS-20 and PFAS-4 are actually being complied with.

Frequently asked questions about PFAS in drinking water

PFAS are among the most persistent pollutants in the water cycle. Many consumers want to know how they can be reliably removed and which technologies are useful in the home. Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions about PFAS and suitable filter solutions.