PFOA in Tap Water
PFOA is a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), a synthetic "forever chemical" that resists breaking down in water and the body.
Also known as C8, forever chemical
Manufacturing, firefighting foam (AFFF), and industrial discharge; persists and accumulates.
- 1Industrial discharge
- 2Firefighting foam
- 3Legacy consumer-product manufacturing
Most affected: Infants, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals.
A result is read with its context
Reported here from EPA UCMR5 occurrence monitoring. A non-detect reflects the reporting limit of the method used, not a guarantee of zero. PurityMap publishes this substance per water system on individual system and city-report pages, where the source dataset provides a value.
- Above reference
- Evidence exceeds a reference level.
- Detected
- This substance was found in the monitoring record. Being present is not the same as being above a reference level, and this signal does not say which.
- Not detected
- Somebody looked and the laboratory reported nothing above its reporting limit. This is a result, and it is not the same as nobody looking.
- Not monitored
- No sampling for this substance has been reported for this system. Nothing is known either way, and an empty row is not a clean one.
728 cities above the federal limit
1 other state on record has no city above the federal limit. Open any state to see its cities.
- AberdeenMD→
- AberdeenNC→
- AbileneTX→
- AbingtonMA→
- Acton DistrictMA→
- AkronOH→
- AlabasterAL→
- AlamogordoNM→
- Albertson WdNY→
- AlbertvilleAL→
- AltonTX→
- AmblerPA→
- AnaheimCA→
- AnchorageAK→
- AngierNC→
- ArchdaleNC→
- Arroyo GrandeCA→
- AsheboroNC→
Showing 18 of 728. Open a state for its full list. A system-level result, not a measurement of any single home.
What can carry a PFOA reduction claim
- Reverse osmosis
Semi-permeable membrane separation removing dissolved minerals, heavy metals, and persistent fluorinated chemicals down to 0.0001 microns.
- Activated carbon (GAC)
Highly porous adsorption media targeting chlorine, disinfection byproducts, volatile organic compounds, and organic chemicals.
- Anion exchange
Synthetic polyvalent resin beads that exchange unwanted dissolved ionic contaminants for harmless benchmark ions.
Boiling does not remove a dissolved chemical compound and can concentrate it. Many pitcher and refrigerator filters carry no verified claim for a compound like this at all.
A finding establishes the need, the need names the capability, the capability requires a verified certification. No product appears before that sequence completes. Filter Finder →
Frequently asked
Answers cite the same records as the page. How PurityMap analyzes water data
PFOA is a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), a synthetic "forever chemical" that resists breaking down in water and the body.
The enforceable federal limit is 4 ng/L (MCL); MCLG of 0. PurityMap reads every measurement against its stated benchmark and never sets its own.
Industrial discharge, Firefighting foam, Legacy consumer-product manufacturing.
Studies associate PFOA exposure with effects on the immune system, cholesterol, liver, and developmental outcomes, and with certain cancers. Because it accumulates, the EPA has set the enforceable limit near the lowest reliably measurable level.
Treatment technologies commonly certified to reduce PFOA include Reverse osmosis, Activated carbon (GAC), Anion exchange. Match the exact certified claim to your water before buying. Holding a format is not the same as holding the claim.
In PurityMap's published record, PFOA was detected in 744 cities (of 4,160 with a result) across 41 states, with 728 above the federal limit. This is the scope of our record, not a national prevalence estimate.