1. CVR Labs Chemical, VOC and Metals Report
Addresses chemical parameters, including selected volatile organic compounds and metals.
View the CVR Labs reportBerkey® Filter Test Results: Phoenix & Black Berkey® Evidence
Laboratory reports & certification
What do Berkey® filter test results actually show? Explore laboratory reports for Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition™ Filter Elements and Black Berkey® Elements, including findings for PFAS, lead, heavy metals, chlorine, and VOCs.
Start with the element you use. Phoenix and Black Berkey® have separate test records, and results for one do not apply to the other. Below, you can compare selected findings, open the source reports, and see how laboratory testing differs from NSF certification.
Phoenix test results at a glance
These selected findings apply to the tested Phoenix samples. They are not Black Berkey® results or performance guarantees for every water source.
>99.50% Minimum lead reduction calculated from 0.2 mg/L influent to below 0.001 mg/L effluent in the March 2025 CVR Labs test
<0.005 µg/L Reported PFOA and PFOS effluent through 1,500 liters
>96.68% / >95.00% Minimum chloramine and free-chlorine reduction from displayed values
75.50% Initial fluoride reduction in the April 2026 laboratory test
Testing and certification answer different questions. A laboratory report records performance under specified conditions. Certification covers the exact product and claims in the certifier’s listing. Phoenix PGF9-2 is NSF-listed under Standard 42 for chlorine and taste-and-odor reduction; this does not extend certification to every contaminant tested. See the certification details.
Phoenix Gravity: Lead, Metals and Chlorine Test Results
The table summarizes Phoenix results from Atom Testing Laboratory (April 20, 2026) and CVR Labs (March 12, 2025). The lead row comes from CVR; all other rows come from Atom. Influent is the water entering the filter, and effluent is the water leaving it. Percentages below are recalculated from the displayed concentrations.
How we calculate reduction: We use (influent − effluent) ÷ influent × 100. Some percentages in the reports do not match their corresponding concentrations, so we explicitly show our calculations. A “<” result gives a reporting threshold, not an exact concentration. We use that threshold to calculate a conservative lower bound and round it downward to two decimal places.
| Contaminant | Influent concentration | Effluent concentration | Recalculated reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 200 µg/L | <2 µg/L | >99.00% |
| Antimony | 21 µg/L | <0.5 µg/L | >97.61% |
| Arsenic | 200 µg/L | <0.5 µg/L | >99.75% |
| Beryllium | 200 µg/L | <0.2 µg/L | >99.90% |
| Bismuth | 50 µg/L | 0.3 µg/L | 99.40% |
| Boron | 20 µg/L | <1 µg/L | >95.00% |
| Barium | 20 µg/L | <1 µg/L | >95.00% |
| Cadmium | 20 µg/L | <0.2 µg/L | >99.00% |
| Chromium | 200 µg/L | 7.2 µg/L | 96.40% |
| Copper | 2,000 µg/L | 40.8 µg/L | 97.96% |
| Iron | 1,500 µg/L | 25.9 µg/L | 98.27% |
| Lead (CVR Labs, March 2025) | 200 µg/L | <1 µg/L | >99.50% |
| Manganese | 500 µg/L | <0.5 µg/L | >99.90% |
| Mercury | 10 µg/L | <0.1 µg/L | >99.00% |
| Nickel | 100 µg/L | <0.5 µg/L | >99.50% |
| Selenium | 100 µg/L | <0.5 µg/L | >99.50% |
| Zinc | 150 µg/L | 26.1 µg/L | 82.60% |
| Chloramines | 3.02 mg/L | <0.1 mg/L | >96.68% |
| Free chlorine | 2.0 mg/L | <0.1 mg/L | >95.00% |
| Chloride | 236 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 95.76% |
| Fluoride | 8.0 mg/L | 1.96 mg/L | 75.50% |
For example, an effluent result reported below a detection or reporting limit means the actual concentration was lower than that stated threshold. The reduction therefore exceeds the percentage calculated at the threshold, but the exact percentage cannot be determined from the displayed data alone.
Unit ambiguity in the Atom report: The nitrate/nitrite section has an mg/L heading but µg/L column labels. Those concentrations are omitted here pending laboratory clarification. The fluoride row gives 8,000 to 1,960 under the µg/L columns, equivalent to 8.0 to 1.96 mg/L; its 75.5% ratio is unchanged by a consistent unit conversion. Do not compare ambiguous values with a drinking-water limit.
Fluoride requires a separate capacity assessment. The 75.50% figure is an initial result. It does not establish sustained fluoride reduction over the element’s service life. Review the applicable fluoride-filter documentation before choosing a configuration for that purpose.
PFOA and PFOS Testing Through 1,500 Liters
A separate RAYNU Analytical and Research Lab report evaluated PFOA and PFOS at multiple service-volume checkpoints. The report lists measurements at 0, 250, 500, 1,000, and 1,500 liters.
| Service volume | PFOA influent | PFOA effluent | PFOS influent | PFOS effluent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 liters | 0.5 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L | 1.0 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L |
| 250 liters | 0.5 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L | 1.0 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L |
| 500 liters | 0.5 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L | 1.0 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L |
| 1,000 liters | 0.5 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L | 1.0 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L |
| 1,500 liters | 0.5 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L | 1.0 µg/L | <0.005 µg/L |
The combined PFOA-plus-PFOS challenge concentration was listed as 1.5 µg/L, with effluent reported below 0.005 µg/L at each checkpoint. The report marked the test entries as passed under its stated criteria. Refer to the complete PDF for the protocol, method sensitivity, allowable-effluent criteria, and laboratory notes.
What “below 0.005 µg/L” establishes: This equals below 5 ppt, which cannot by itself establish a result below the 4 ppt individual PFOA/PFOS MCLs in EPA’s 2024 rule. It also does not prove a result above 4 ppt. The report’s “passed” entries refer to its stated test criteria, not a household safety determination or current public-water compliance finding.
The PDF’s methods section states a sensitivity of 10 ng/L, while its result table reports <5 ng/L. Laboratory clarification is needed to reconcile those statements. This page reproduces the reported results without resolving that discrepancy. The listed checkpoints do not establish performance beyond 1,500 liters or through the element’s general advertised service life.
Phoenix Laboratory Reports: Read the Original PDFs
Open the original PDFs below to review the complete analytical data. Reports are hosted on Berkey Phoenix, the official Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition™ product information website.
2. RAYNU Heavy Metals, VOC, PFAS and Radiological Report
Addresses heavy metals, volatile organic contaminants, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, selected radiologicals and petroleum contaminants.
View the RAYNU heavy-metals and PFAS report3. RAYNU Organic Contaminants and Pharmaceuticals Report
Addresses pharmaceuticals, selected emerging compounds, disinfection byproducts, and a broad range of organic contaminants. See the original report for the complete list of analytes.
View the RAYNU organic contaminants report4. RAYNU PFOA and PFOS 1,500-Liter Report
Reports PFOA, PFOS and combined PFOA-plus-PFOS measurements at 0, 250, 500, 1,000 and 1,500 liters.
View the 1,500-liter PFOA and PFOS report5. Atom Heavy Metals and Inorganic Contaminants Report
Provides quantified findings for heavy metals, chloramines, free chlorine, chloride, nitrate, nitrite, and initial fluoride reduction.
View the April 2026 Atom reportBlack Berkey® Elements: Test Results and Reports
If your system uses Black Berkey® Elements, review the Black Berkey® reports. The Phoenix results above describe a different filter element.
New Millennium Concepts published a separate library of independent third-party test reports for Black Berkey® Elements covering PFAS/PFOA, lead, heavy metals, chlorine, VOCs, pesticides, disinfection byproducts, radiologicals, and other contaminants.
Black Berkey® PFOA evidence: Envirotek Report #16-296-PFOA lists 1.00 µg/L influent and <0.002 µg/L effluent at the start, 10 gallons, and 25 gallons. Those displayed values support a calculated lower bound of >99.8%. The report prints >99.9%; the displayed concentrations alone do not establish that stronger bound. Its additional PFAS entries use PFOA as a surrogate, rather than separate direct challenges. Read the original Envirotek PDF.
| Accumulated volume | PFOA influent | Reported effluent | Calculated lower bound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 1.00 µg/L | <0.002 µg/L | >99.8% |
| 10 gallons | 1.00 µg/L | <0.002 µg/L | >99.8% |
| 25 gallons | 1.00 µg/L | <0.002 µg/L | >99.8% |
The Black Berkey® PFOA report states that its results relate only to the filter sample tested. Additional PFAS shown in the report are surrogate results based on the PFOA test and should not be described as separate direct challenge tests.
Black Berkey® Elements Complete Test-Result Library
The Black Berkey® evidence library links to reports for chemical reduction, radiologicals, VOCs, pesticides, THMs, HAA5, uranium, heavy metals, lead, chlorine, turbidity, Chromium VI, PFOA and other perfluorinated chemicals.
View Black Berkey® Elements Test ResultsPhoenix Gravity vs. Black Berkey®: Evidence Comparison
Both filter-element families have independent laboratory evidence supporting contaminant reduction, but they were tested in different programs, at different times, and under different conditions. Use the evidence for the exact element installed in your Berkey® system.
| Evidence area | Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition™ | Black Berkey® Elements |
|---|---|---|
| PFAS reduction evidence | Yes. Independent testing covers PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxS and PFNA. | Yes. Direct PFOA challenge testing plus additional PFAS/perfluorinated compounds reported using PFOA as a surrogate. |
| PFOA | 0.5 µg/L influent; <0.005 µg/L effluent at every listed checkpoint through 1,500 L. | 1.00 µg/L influent; <0.002 µg/L effluent at start, 10 gal and 25 gal; calculated lower bound >99.8% from displayed values. |
| PFOS | Directly tested at 1.0 µg/L; <0.005 µg/L at every listed checkpoint through 1,500 L. | Listed using PFOA as a surrogate; not a separate direct PFOS challenge. |
| Lead / heavy metals | Yes. Multiple current independent reports; selected quantified results are summarized above. | Yes. Separate independent reports include lead, heavy metals, and other chemical-reduction testing. |
| Chlorine/chloramine | Independent laboratory data for both. The Phoenix PGF9-2 element itself is NSF/ANSI 42 listed for chlorine and taste-and-odor reduction; Phoenix-equipped Travel, Big and Royal configurations are also listed under NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine reduction and taste-and-odor reduction. | Independent Black Berkey® chemical-reduction reports include testing for chlorine and chloramine. |
| VOCs / pesticides / other organics | Yes. Covered in the published Phoenix laboratory reports. | Yes. Covered in the Black Berkey® test-result library. |
| NSF PFAS certification | No. Phoenix PFAS claims on this page are based on independent laboratory testing. | No. Black Berkey® PFAS claims on this page are based on independent laboratory testing. |
| Current role | Compatible replacement element; check the product page for current configuration details. | Installed in many existing Berkey® systems; consult the replacement-filter page for availability. |
These reports do not establish a head-to-head winner. Phoenix and Black Berkey® were not tested side by side under a single, identical PFAS protocol. Differences in challenge concentration, reporting limit, service volume, laboratory, and test design mean the reports should be read as evidence for the named analytes and tested samples, with the surrogate, reporting-limit, and service-volume limitations described above.
Current NSF Certification Listings
Current NSF listings cover both the Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition Filter Element PGF9-2 itself and specific Berkey® system configurations featuring Phoenix elements.
Phoenix Gravity PGF9-2 Filter Element
- NSF/ANSI Standard 42: NSF lists the Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition Filter Element PGF9-2 in the Filter Cartridges component category with Chlorine Reduction and Taste and Odor Reduction claims.
The NSF component listing also notes testing to a capacity of 4,000 liters for chlorine and taste-and-odor reduction per NSF/ANSI 42. Both claims are displayed for the cartridge in the listing reviewed. The listing also specifies 15–20 liters of flushing; follow the applicable manufacturer preparation instructions.
Berkey® Systems Featuring Phoenix Elements
Certified capacity is claim-specific. It should not be treated as a service-life rating for PFAS, lead, chloramine, or any other contaminant in the laboratory reports.
NSF separately lists Travel Berkey®, Big Berkey®, and Royal Berkey® systems featuring Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition™ Filter Elements:
- NSF/ANSI Standard 42: listed claims are Chlorine Reduction and Taste and Odor Reduction.
- NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 372: these configurations conform with applicable lead-content requirements for “lead-free” plumbing. Standard 372 addresses lead content in product materials; it does not certify lead reduction from drinking water.
Compatibility and certification remain separate. Phoenix elements may be compatible with additional Berkey® housings, but the New Millennium Concepts NSF system listings specifically identify Travel Berkey®, Big Berkey®, and Royal Berkey® systems featuring Phoenix elements.
Test Result Questions
Can both Black Berkey® and Phoenix Gravity elements reduce PFAS?
Yes. Both have independent laboratory evidence supporting PFAS reduction. Black Berkey® was directly tested for PFOA, with additional PFAS reported using PFOA as a surrogate. Phoenix has a separate report evaluating PFOA and PFOS at checkpoints through 1,500 liters, alongside reports addressing additional PFAS. Review the separate reports because the two filter elements were not tested under one identical protocol.
Are Phoenix filter elements certified to NSF/ANSI 53?
No NSF/ANSI 53 product certification is claimed on this page. Some laboratory reports reference NSF/ANSI 53 procedures, challenge conditions, or other testing criteria in their methods. Testing with a protocol is different from third-party product certification to that standard.
Why does this page not repeat every “99.9%+” value printed in the report?
Because several printed percentages do not match the concentrations displayed beside them. This page recalculates each result directly. For a “less than” effluent value, the page uses the stated reporting limit to show a conservative minimum. For example, reducing 3.02 mg/L to less than 0.1 mg/L supports a reduction greater than 96.68%, not a directly verifiable 99.9%+ from the displayed values alone.
Will every household receive the same result?
Not necessarily. Laboratory results apply to the test sample, challenge water, flow rate, preparation, service volume, and other conditions described in each report. Actual performance can be affected by influent water quality, contaminant concentration, filter condition, installation, and maintenance.
Do the filters reduce fluoride without PF-2 elements?
The Phoenix report from April 2026 shows an initial 75.5% fluoride reduction. It does not establish sustained reduction throughout the element’s service life, and it does not describe Black Berkey® performance. If fluoride is your priority, review the capacity and compatibility information for the specific fluoride-reduction element you plan to use.
Do Phoenix elements change Total Dissolved Solids?
A TDS reading does not identify individual contaminants or verify the reduction percentages in these reports. To assess a specific contaminant, use an analytical test for that substance rather than a before-and-after TDS reading.
Are microbiological reduction claims included?
No microbiological reduction claim is presented for Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition™ Filter Elements. The published product guidance is directed toward non-biological contaminants associated primarily with treated municipal water supplies.
Compare Phoenix elements with other options in our Berkey Replacement Filters Guide.
Review the Evidence, Then Choose the Right Filter
Match your water-quality concern to the report for your filter element. Before ordering a replacement, check compatibility, preparation instructions, and the documented capacity for the contaminant you want to reduce.