Faucet filters are the cheapest certified way to get lead out of what you drink, and the one the EPA's Flint field study tested. We checked which ones are actually on a certifier's listing, on 26–27 October 2026.
Evidence behind this site: 201 studies and official sources · 47 certification listings read · 26 documented incidents · last checked 30 October 2026 · corrections
"Certified" means the exact model is on the certifier's own listing under NSF/ANSI 53 with the word Lead. We copy model numbers as the certifier writes them.
| System · cartridge | Gallons | Flow | Lead | PFAS | Other listed claims | Certifier · file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUR faucet mount · PFM100B, PFM150W, PFM200B, PFM222B, PFM244W, PFM270G, PFM300V, PFM310M, PFM350V, PFM360F, PFM400H, PFM400HC, PFM410F, PFM420W, PFM450S, PFM800HX, FM-2000B, FM2100B, FM2500V, FM2700G, FM2800N, FM-3333B, FM-3700B, FM4000B · cartridge RF-3375 or RF-9999 | 100 | 0.52 gpm | Yes | Total PFAS | Mercury, VOC (NSF/ANSI 53); chlorine, particulates, taste and odour (NSF/ANSI 42); microplastics and 14 emerging compounds (NSF/ANSI 401) | IAPMO R&T · W-29904 (NSF/ANSI 53-2024); NSF (Kaz USA) for 42 |
| Brita faucet filtration system · FF-100, SAFF-100 · cartridge FR-200 | 100 | 0.58 gpm | Yes | Not listed | Asbestos, chlordane, toxaphene, VOC (as chloroform) | WQA (NSF/ANSI 53) |
| Culligan faucet mount · FM-15A, FM-25 · cartridge FM-15RA, FM-25R | 200 | 0.5 gpm | Yes | Not listed | Atrazine, lindane, turbidity | IAPMO R&T · WP-10826 (NSF/ANSI 53-2021) |
"Total PFAS" is the NSF/ANSI 53 claim tested at 20 ng/L total PFAS. The EPA's 2024 legal limit is 4 ng/L each for PFOA and PFOS, so certified is good, not a guarantee of "below the legal line". Flow at about half a gallon a minute is normal for a lead-certified faucet filter: the water needs contact time with the carbon.
Corrected 30 October 2026: earlier versions assumed 0.6 gallons a day per person. We now use the EPA Exposure Factors Handbook (ch. 3, table 3-1): average 0.23 gallons a day for drinking and cooking, adult 95th percentile about 0.78. Cartridges a year = gallons ÷ listed capacity. Prices are Target's on 27 October 2026 and will move.
| Cartridge | Price per cartridge | 7 people · average · 587 gal | 7 people · heavy · 1,997 gal | 2 people · average · 168 gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUR RF-9999 (2-pack $27.99) | $14.00 | 5.9 cartridges · about $82 | 20.0 cartridges · about $279 | 1.7 cartridges · about $23 |
| Brita FR-200 | Target lists packs at $29.89–$37.49; pack size not confirmed, so no per-cartridge price here | 5.9 cartridges | 20.0 cartridges | 1.7 cartridges |
| Culligan FM-25R | not checked | 2.9 cartridges | 10.0 cartridges | 0.8 cartridges |
Against a pitcher, a PUR faucet filter runs about a fifth of the ZeroWater filter bill for the same water (pitcher numbers here), and it carries the same lead and PFAS claims. Against an under-sink carbon block (600–800 gallons per cartridge) it costs more per year but needs no plumbing.
"Tested to NSF standards", "meets NSF/ANSI 53" or a lab report is not a listing. NSF/ANSI 372 means the filter's own parts are lead-free, not that it removes lead.
In Flint, Michigan, the EPA's own laboratory tested certified faucet and pitcher filters at 345 locations (2019). Raw lead ran up to 4,080 µg/L; after the filter it was below 0.5 µg/L in more than 97 percent of samples. One caveat from a 2021 laboratory study: when lead is in nano-particle form, the same certified filters removed only 11–93 percent. Lead has no known safe level (WHO). If your home has a lead service line or old lead solder, a certified faucet filter on the kitchen tap is the cheapest proven step while the pipe is dealt with.
Do your own math →No link on this site earns us anything: we use plain links to the retailer, no affiliate links. This page has no affiliate links. Whether a filter is on the list depends only on the certifier's listing.