News-Sentinel.com

Friday, 11/10/2000

TROUBLED WATERS

Adding another line of defense: How well do home filters work?

By KEVIN KILBANE of The News-Sentinel

Concern nationally about drinking-water safety and taste have spurred the development of water filters for home use.

Choosing the right filter depends on what's in a consumer's water or what he or she most wants removed from it, said Cheryl Luptowski, consumer affairs specialist with NSF International in Ann Arbor, Mich.

NSF is an independent, nonprofit organization that evaluates products to certify they meet basic safety and performance standards.

Luptowski said her organization has evaluated hundreds of water filters in recent years. Generally, those using activated carbon as the filtering agent have been most effective at reducing lead, copper, mercury and chemical pollutants, such as herbicides, chlorine and water treatment byproducts.

More expensive reverse-osmosis filters are more effective at reducing mineral contaminants such as sodium, nitrates and arsenic, Luptowski said.

Consumer Reports magazine also has tested and rated water filters. The evaluations, reported in the October 1999 and August 2000 issues, conclude that faucet-mounted filters and freestanding carafes are relatively inexpensive and fairly effective for most household needs.

The magazine found both faucet-mounted filters and carafes reduce lead, parasites, chlorine and water-treatment byproducts. They also help eliminate bad tastes and odors. Consumer Reports did not test for herbicide and pesticide removal.

Faucet-mounted filters rated highly by Consumer Reports include the Culligan FM-15 (about $17, plus about $60 per year for replacement filter cartridges); Pur Ultimate FM-4010L (about $40, plus about $80 per year for cartridges); and the Pur Plus FM-3000 or FM-3550 (about $35, plus about $72 per year for cartridges).

Among the carafes, Consumer Reports liked the Pur CR-500 (about $15, plus about $42 per year for replacement filters) and Brita models using the OBO3 filter.