What's in the $15 brief, how it differs from a free EPA NCOD lookup, what we cover, what we don't, and our refund policy.
A PDF: your utility name and PWSID, your state's UCMR 5 detection rate and median PFAS, your utility's most recent UCMR 5 results compared against the April 2024 federal MCLs (PFOA 4.0 ng/L, PFOS 4.0 ng/L, PFHxS/PFNA/HFPO-DA 10 ng/L), hotspot context if applicable, a filter recommendation by NSF certification category, three lab options if you want to test your own tap, and a 14-day plan.
NCOD is the raw data portal. To get an answer from it you need to know your PWSID, what an MRL is, and how to compare a UCMR 5 row against an April-2024 MCL row. The brief does that translation for you, adds hotspot context from state-DEP and DoD AFFF data, and recommends a filter by certification. See our UCMR 5 walkthrough if you want to do the lookup yourself.
No. Everything in the brief and on this site is educational triage. For medical questions about PFAS exposure, including during pregnancy, see your physician and the pregnancy guide for pointers to the ATSDR Clinician's Guide on PFAS. For legal questions about utility liability, see a licensed environmental attorney.
No. How Safe Is My Water is an independent research site. We use EPA public data (UCMR 5, NCOD) and cite EPA rules (40 CFR § 141.61(c); 89 Fed. Reg. 32532) but we are not affiliated with or endorsed by the US EPA, ATSDR, NSF International, or any drinking-water utility. See about.
UCMR 5 sampling runs 2023–2025 and is published quarterly to NCOD. If your utility hasn't been sampled yet, the brief uses the most recent prior data available (state-DEP files, voluntary utility disclosures, UCMR 3) and clearly marks the result as "interim" with the source year. We refresh the underlying dataset every NCOD release, see methodology.
"Non-detect" means PFAS were below the analytical Minimum Reporting Level (MRL) for the method used, typically in the single-digit ng/L range. PFAS may still be present below the MRL. The EPA's June 2022 interim health advisories (PFOA 0.004 ng/L; PFOS 0.02 ng/L) were below detection by current methods and were withdrawn when the 2024 MCLs were finalised. The 2024 MCLs are set at the level that is reliably achievable and measurable.
The recommendation depends on what's in your source water. For hotspot utilities or detections including short-chain PFAS like HFPO-DA (GenX), under-sink reverse osmosis certified to NSF/ANSI 58 with the PFAS reduction claim is the most reliable option. For PFOA/PFOS-dominant detections at lower levels, a carbon block certified to NSF/ANSI 53 with the P473 protocol is sufficient. Standard Brita/PUR pitcher filters (NSF 42 only) generally do not remove PFAS, see RO vs pitcher for the Duke 2020 evidence.
If you're on a public water system, the UCMR 5 data is generally more reliable than a single home test (proper sample collection is tricky, and one snapshot doesn't capture seasonal variation). Home testing is worth it for private wells, hotspot ZIPs where you want point-in-time verification, or sensitive households. Use a NELAP-accredited lab running EPA Method 537.1 and 533, see testing labs guide.
Briefs are scoped to public water systems. Private wells should be tested directly. If you live in a hotspot region near an AFFF site or PFAS-manufacturing plant, your state DEP may offer free PFAS testing for private wells, Michigan EGLE, NC DEQ, and a number of other state programs run this.
Check the "Pregnancy or infant in the household" box on the order form. The brief will include a callout citing the EFSA 2020 Tolerable Weekly Intake (4.4 ng/kg body weight/week for the sum of PFOA + PFOS + PFNA + PFHxS) and the ATSDR Clinician's Guide on PFAS. This is educational; consult your obstetrician or pediatrician. The pregnancy guide explains the underlying logic.
If your ZIP doesn't resolve to a public water system in our coverage, we refund automatically, no email needed. If the brief delivered doesn't match what we describe, email [email protected] within 30 days for a refund.
The dataset powering briefs is refreshed every EPA NCOD quarterly release (March, June, September, December). State-DEP data overlays are refreshed continuously. The current snapshot is the June 2026 NCOD release. Corrections and methodology changes are logged in our corrections log.
