PFAS in Sydney Water: Which PFAS Water Filter Actually Removes It
Sydney Water tests every filtration plant for PFAS and publishes the numbers. The latest results sit well under the national limits, which were tightened in June 2025. If you still want a filter, the evidence is clear about which kind works: an under-sink reverse osmosis or dual-stage unit at the drinking tap, not a whole house system. Here are the real numbers, what independent tests of home filters found, and how to pick one that is proven.
If you want one anyway, the filters that removed PFAS almost completely in independent testing were under-sink reverse osmosis and dual-stage units. Whole house carbon filters gave mixed results, and boiling does nothing. Choose a unit certified for PFAS reduction and keep its cartridges changed.
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Talk to a licensed plumber about an under-sink filterWhat PFAS Are, in Plain English
PFAS is short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. News stories call them forever chemicals, because, as NHMRC puts it, they can persist in humans and the environment for long periods.
A Big Family of Chemicals
NHMRC describes PFAS as a class of more than 4,000 manufactured chemicals that are not found naturally in the environment and have been widely used in industrial and consumer products. The best known are PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS.Source: NHMRC, PFAS questions and answers, June 2025
Long Chain and Short Chain
PFOS and PFOA are long chain PFAS; PFBS and GenX are short chain. The difference matters for filters, because carbon catches short chain PFAS less well than long chain.Sources: NHMRC; Australian Drinking Water Guidelines PFAS fact sheet
Not the Same as Fluoride
PFAS contain fluorine atoms but not the fluoride ion that is added to Sydney's water to protect teeth. They are different chemicals, and our guide on whether a water filter removes fluoride covers the other one.Source: NHMRC, PFAS questions and answers
The National Limits, and What Changed in June 2025
In June 2025 NHMRC replaced its 2018 PFAS values with four separate health-based guideline values in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Sydney Water reports its results against these.
| Chemical | 2018 value | June 2025 value |
|---|---|---|
| PFOS | 70 ng/L, combined with PFHxS | 8 ng/L |
| PFHxS | 70 ng/L, combined with PFOS | 30 ng/L |
| PFOA | 560 ng/L | 200 ng/L |
| PFBS | No value set | 1,000 ng/L |
A nanogram per litre (ng/L) is one billionth of a gram in each litre of water. NHMRC describes its values as very conservative, built with uncertainty factors that always err on the side of caution.
Its advice for town water is direct: households with a reticulated drinking water supply with PFAS levels below the health-based guideline values do not need additional home water treatment.
Sydney's Latest PFAS Results, Plant by Plant
Sydney Water tests the drinking water produced at each filtration plant: Cascade and North Richmond weekly, the others fortnightly. It states that the levels of PFAS in your drinking water are lower than the values specified in the guidelines. This is how close the latest samples came.
PFOS at each Sydney Water plant, against the national limit of 8 ng/L
PFOS has the tightest national limit, so it is the chemical that gets closest. Latest published samples: Cascade (taken at the plant, Katoomba and Blackheath) 8 September 2026, North Richmond 7 September, the other filtration plants 31 August and 2 September, Sydney Desalination Plant 26 April 2026. Source: Sydney Water PFAS monitoring results, retrieved 24 September 2026. A full bar would mean the water had reached the NHMRC guideline value.
The other three chemicals sit even further under their limits. The highest PFHxS result was 2.2 ng/L at North Richmond, against a limit of 30. PFOA and PFBS were at 1.2 ng/L or less at every plant, against limits of 200 and 1,000.
PFAS has been in the news, and it is worth knowing what was reported. In August 2025 the ABC reported that UNSW researchers had identified 31 types of PFAS in Sydney tap water samples, 21 of them not previously reported in Australian drinking water, at concentrations within the Australian guidelines. In September 2025 a NSW parliamentary inquiry found Sydney Water had not done enough due diligence before saying in June 2024 that there were no PFAS hotspots in its catchments, and WaterNSW disconnected Medlow Dam in the Blue Mountains as a precaution (ABC News, 12 August and 11 September 2025). Sydney Water's latest Cascade samples, taken at Katoomba and Blackheath, show PFOS at 0.5 ng/L.
Which Filters Actually Remove PFAS
The most useful evidence on real home filters comes from a 2020 peer-reviewed study by Duke University and North Carolina State University. The team tested the filters people already had at home, from jugs and fridge filters to under-sink units and whole house systems.
How much PFAS each type of home filter removed in independent testing
Filters tested in 73 homes in North Carolina: Herkert et al., Environmental Science and Technology Letters, 2020 (doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00004), and the Duke University release on the study, February 2020. "Other carbon filters" averaged about 73% overall with results that varied greatly. Boiling: NHMRC PFAS questions and answers, June 2025.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines point the same way: reverse osmosis achieves up to more than 99% removal of longer chain PFAS and is likely to remove shorter chain PFAS, while granular activated carbon and ion exchange are less effective at removing short chain PFAS.
Why a Whole House Filter Is Not the PFAS Answer
It sounds logical that filtering all the water coming into the house would be the safest option. For PFAS, the evidence points the other way. In the 2020 study, whole house carbon systems gave variable results, and in four of the eight tested, PFAS levels were higher in the filtered water.
The shower is not where the exposure is either. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines say exposure to PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFBS from showering and bathing is considered negligible. What you drink and cook with is what counts, which is why the filters that proved themselves sit under the kitchen sink.
A whole house carbon filter still does a good job at what it is built for: taking the chlorine taste and smell out of every tap and shower. Buy it for that, and read about whole house water filters if that is what you are after. For the full comparison, see our guide on whole house or under-sink filters.
How to Choose a PFAS Water Filter That Is Proven
NHMRC's advice for anyone who chooses a filter is to make sure the device has been proven to remove PFAS by independent testing. In practice, that comes down to five checks.
- Check the certification names PFAS. Australian Standard AS 3497 requires performance claims for drinking water treatment units to be certified to NSF/ANSI standards. For PFAS, look for NSF/ANSI 53 (carbon and resin filters) or NSF/ANSI 58 (reverse osmosis) with a PFOA and PFOS, or Total PFAS, reduction claim. NSF tightened the PFOA and PFOS claim in 2022, from 70 to 20 parts per trillion combined.
- Choose the type that tested best. An under-sink reverse osmosis or dual-stage unit, fitted at the kitchen for drinking and cooking water.
- Have it installed by a licensed plumber. A filter connected to your water supply is plumbing work, and WaterMark certified products must be installed by a licensed plumbing practitioner.
- Change the cartridges and membrane on schedule. NHMRC notes PFAS filters need to be properly maintained and replaced, and a 2018 peer-reviewed study found neglected home filters can trap sludge, scale and slime that let bacteria grow. Our guide on how often to change filter cartridges covers the schedule.
- Know the trade-off. Reverse osmosis also removes most of the fluoride added to protect teeth, and NHMRC points out that home filters can reduce beneficial chemicals like fluoride. That is your call to make, with the facts.
So, Do You Need a PFAS Water Filter in Sydney?
It depends on where your water comes from and what you want from a filter.
On Sydney Water's Town Supply
The national guideline says no. Every plant's latest results sit under the limits, and NHMRC says households below the values do not need extra home treatment. A filter is a personal choice, and a reasonable one if it gives you peace of mind.
If You Want One Anyway
Choose an under-sink reverse osmosis or dual-stage unit certified for PFAS reduction, have it installed by a licensed plumber, and plan for the cartridge changes. That is what the evidence supports. We quote a fixed price before any work starts, with 0% interest payment plans available.
On Tank or Bore Water
Town water results do not cover private supplies. NHMRC's advice is that if a private supply has PFAS above the guideline value, find another source of drinking water while it is investigated, and talk to your local health authority or environment protection agency if you have concerns. See our guide on rainwater tank filters for drinking water.
PFAS and Water Filter FAQs
Is there PFAS in Sydney tap water?
At very low levels, yes. Sydney Water tests every filtration plant and its latest results are all below the national guideline values. The highest PFOS result was 1.2 ng/L, against a limit of 8 ng/L.
Does boiling water remove PFAS?
No. NHMRC says PFAS are not removed or destroyed by boiling the water.
Will a whole house water filter remove PFAS?
Not reliably. In a 2020 study, whole house carbon systems gave variable results, and four of the eight tested had higher PFAS in the filtered water. Under-sink reverse osmosis and dual-stage filters removed PFAS almost completely.
Do jug filters remove PFAS?
Partly. In the same study, carbon filters such as jugs, tap-mounted and fridge filters removed about 60 to 70% of long chain PFAS and about 40% of short chain PFAS, and results varied a lot from one filter to the next.
Is it safe to shower in water with PFAS?
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines say exposure to PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFBS from showering and bathing is considered negligible.
What certification should a PFAS water filter have?
Look for NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58 certification with a PFOA and PFOS, or Total PFAS, reduction claim. Australian Standard AS 3497 requires performance claims to be certified to NSF/ANSI standards.
Does a reverse osmosis filter remove fluoride too?
Yes. NHMRC says reverse osmosis membranes will remove most of the fluoride from water. Fluoride is added to Sydney's water to protect teeth, so weigh that up before you choose.
Related: Water filter installation · Whole house water filters · Is Sydney tap water safe to drink? · Does a water filter remove fluoride? · Whole house or under-sink filter? · Filter tap or under-sink filter?
