In 2019, an updated PFAS contamination map from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Northeastern University's Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute drew national attention to PFAS detections across the United States.
The map was important at the time, but it should now be read as a historical snapshot of an expanding PFAS problem—not as a current count of affected states, sites, or people. Federal monitoring and drinking-water regulation have changed substantially since the original report.
Quick answer: The original EWG/Northeastern report helped show that PFAS contamination was far more widespread than early monitoring suggested. Today, homeowners should use current utility, state, and EPA monitoring results to determine whether PFAS have been measured in their drinking water, and then evaluate treatment based on evidence specific to the exact filter and PFAS compounds involved.
What Did the 2019 EWG and Northeastern Report Find?
The EWG and Northeastern project compiled known PFAS detections associated with public water systems, military installations, airports, industrial sites, landfills, firefighting training sites, and other locations.
At that stage of the project, EWG reported hundreds of contaminated locations across 43 states. Michigan showed especially large numbers partly because it had one of the country's more comprehensive PFAS testing programs.
Important context: More reported sites do not automatically mean one state had worse water than another. States that tested more extensively could identify more contamination. The 43-state figure reflects the data available at that time.
Why This Old PFAS Map Still Matters
The report helped demonstrate a problem that remains relevant: PFAS contamination cannot be understood without testing. PFAS generally cannot be identified by the taste, smell, or appearance of drinking water.
It also highlighted common source areas that continue to receive attention, including certain manufacturing locations, military facilities, airports, firefighting-training areas, landfills, and wastewater-related sites.
What Has Changed Since 2019?
A great deal. The former EPA 70-ppt PFOA/PFOS health advisory, which shaped early PFAS coverage, is no longer the appropriate regulatory benchmark.
EPA established enforceable federal drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4.0 parts per trillion each in 2024. In May 2026, EPA proposed retaining those limits while creating an option for qualifying public water systems to request two additional years—potentially through 2031—to comply. The extension would not be automatic.
EPA separately proposed rescinding the federal regulatory determinations and drinking-water regulations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture involving those three PFAS plus PFBS. The public-comment periods closed in July 2026. As of September 2026, these remain proposed changes rather than final revisions.
Do not use the 2019 EWG map or the former 70-ppt EPA advisory as today's regulatory benchmark. Use current EPA, state, and utility information.
What Are PFAS?
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. It is a large family of synthetic fluorinated chemicals used in industrial and consumer applications because many resist water, oil, grease, stains, and heat.
Frequently discussed PFAS include PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and HFPO-DA, commonly associated with GenX processing aids. PFAS are not a single chemical, and their persistence, mobility, toxicity, and treatment behavior can vary.
Where Can PFAS Exposure Come From?
- PFAS-contaminated drinking water in affected communities
- Certain industrial and occupational settings
- Some firefighting foams and historically contaminated training sites
- Some food-contact, textile, stain-resistant, water-resistant, and other consumer products
- Food or fish affected by environmental contamination
Older PFOA and PFOS production has been phased out by major U.S. manufacturers, but historical contamination remains, other PFAS persist, and PFAS-containing products or materials can enter the United States through global supply chains.
What Does Current Research Say About Health Effects?
Health evidence varies among PFAS. EPA says peer-reviewed studies indicate that exposure to certain PFAS at certain levels may be associated with reproductive and developmental effects, reduced immune response, hormonal effects, increased cholesterol, and increased risk of some cancers.
That wording matters. It is more accurate than saying all PFAS inevitably cause the same diseases or that any detection automatically means a person will become ill.
How to Check Your Drinking Water for PFAS Today
If You Use Public Water
Contact your local water provider and ask which PFAS, if any, have been measured. Review your Consumer Confidence Report and current state or EPA PFAS monitoring information. Many public systems now have PFAS results available.
If You Use a Private Well
Private wells are not regulated in the same way as public systems under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. If PFAS contamination is known or suspected nearby, contact your state or local environmental or health agency for guidance on appropriate laboratory testing.
PFAS testing is specialized. A general home water strip is not a substitute for an appropriate laboratory PFAS analysis.
What Can You Do If PFAS Are Found?
EPA identifies several home-treatment technologies that can reduce PFAS, including granular activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. Performance depends on the PFAS involved, filter design, media, flow, source-water chemistry, maintenance, and service life.
| Technology | How It Addresses PFAS | What to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Activated carbon | Adsorbs PFAS onto porous carbon media. | Product-specific PFAS data; capacity; replacement interval. |
| Ion exchange | Uses resin to attract and retain PFAS. | PFAS claims, resin capacity, maintenance. |
| Reverse osmosis | Uses a membrane to separate many dissolved substances. | PFAS certification/data, membrane maintenance, reject water. |
EPA recommends looking for independently certified products with applicable PFAS-reduction claims, including NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58, where relevant. EPA also cautions that existing PFAS filter certification criteria do not necessarily demonstrate treatment down to its newer federal limits.
Can Black Berkey® and Phoenix Gravity Filters Reduce PFAS?
Yes. Both filter-element families have laboratory evidence of PFAS reduction, although the test programs differ.
- Black Berkey® Elements: Envirotek directly challenged PFOA at 1.00 µg/L (1,000 ppt). Effluent remained below 0.002 µg/L (2 ppt) at the start, at 10 gallons, and at 25 gallons, with>99.9% PFOA reduction reported. The same report lists PFOS, PFBS, PFDA, PFHxA, PFNA and other fluorinated compounds using PFOA as a surrogate.
- Phoenix Gravity Elements: newer independent testing directly evaluated PFOA and PFOS through 1,500 liters. PFOA challenged at 0.5 µg/L and PFOS at 1.0 µg/L were reported below 0.005 µg/L at every listed checkpoint. Additional Phoenix testing covers PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxS and PFNA.
If your Berkey® currently uses Black Berkey® Elements, the existing elements have their own PFAS-reduction evidence. When replacement is eventually needed, Phoenix Gravity is the current compatible primary replacement option and has its own current PFAS test documentation.
Compare the Berkey® PFAS test results before choosing or replacing an element.
Independent PFAS testing is not the same as NSF PFAS certification. The Black Berkey® and Phoenix results described above are element-specific independent laboratory evidence. Current Phoenix NSF/ANSI 42 listings address chlorine and taste-and-odor performance, not PFAS reduction.
Other Practical Ways to Reduce PFAS Exposure
Drinking water can be an important exposure pathway in affected areas, but it is not the only one. EPA recommends focusing on meaningful, achievable actions rather than attempting to eliminate every possible PFAS exposure.
- Follow current local drinking water and fish consumption advisories.
- When practical, choose products whose manufacturers state they are made without intentionally added PFAS.
- Maintain any water filter according to its instructions and replace media on schedule.
- Base decisions on current measurements rather than assuming that proximity to an industrial or military site proves your tap water contains PFAS.
Bottom Line
The EWG and Northeastern University map was an important milestone in public awareness of PFAS contamination, but its 43-state figure belongs to the history of PFAS monitoring rather than today's measurement of the problem.
For homeowners in 2026, the useful path is more direct: check current water results, identify which PFAS were measured, compare those results with current guidance, and evaluate any filter using contaminant-specific evidence.
For Berkey® owners, both the Black Berkey® Elements and the Phoenix Gravity elements have evidence of PFAS reduction. Existing Black Berkey® users can review Black-specific PFOA evidence. Phoenix provides newer direct PFOA and PFOS testing through 1,500 liters and is the current primary compatible replacement option for many Berkey® systems when replacement is needed.