Overview

• An EWG analysis of 19 U.S. utilities found that installing granular activated carbon, ion exchange, or reverse osmosis cut trihalomethanes by an average 42% and haloacetic acids by 50%.
• The study reported concurrent reductions in other hazards, including agricultural nitrates and heavy metals such as arsenic and uranium.
• Access remains limited, with only about 8% of U.S. water systems using PFAS-capable filters, including just 7% of very small systems versus 28% of the largest utilities.
• Policy headwinds persist, as the EPA in May announced weaker limits for four PFAS in drinking water and delayed compliance timelines.
• A separate review in New Contaminants cataloged eight physicochemical destruction approaches achieving over 90% removal in many tests but flagged energy demands, byproducts, and scalability, urging integrated strategies and new materials.