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Comment by b112 | Hacker News Reader

Brita filters solve lead problems? Carbon alone doesn't do it, Brita filters are basically just for taste and large particulate matter.*

Brita filters don't typically remove bacteria, viruses, or anything truly worrisome from water. If your water is unsafe to drink before a Brita jug, it's unsafe after too.

If you want to remove lead, a little brita filter jug won't do it. You need reverse osmosis, or maybe a fancy super-large, regularly renewed, incredibly expensive filter.

* see followup posts

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They do make them and they are readily available:

https://www.brita.com/products/tahoe-water-pitcher-elite-fil...

I've never seen this model before, it seems new to me. I'm quite skeptical of its performance.

I can't seem to find anything other than their documentation, stating the veracity of their claims. I wish I could.

https://www.brita.com/assets/23601607167498ba405a22f7692b3b8...

It would be nice if you updated your original remark. I rarely see such a combination of total confidence and complete incorrectness, and you're giving advice on a health matter.

Thanks just found that, but again that's their documentation. What were their testing conditions like?

Well anyhow, it does seem like there are filters with lead removal, so fair enough.

NSF standards and testing procedures are typically something you have to pay for, the procedure can be purchased here: https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/nsf/nsfansi532023?source...

Also NSF certification for the NSF53 standard here:

https://info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/Listings.asp?Standard=05...

in fairness I think the burden of proof is on whoever is claiming the brita lead filter is safe

> It would be nice if you updated your original remark. I rarely see such a combination of total confidence and complete incorrectness, and you're giving advice on a health matter.

You said "Brita filter". Not "Brita Elite filter", which is a different brand and not what is included in most "Brita" brand filter jugs. Despite you only saying "Brita filter", not all Brita-brand filters are the same.

It would be nice if you updated your original remark to say Brita Elite. :)

I rarely see such a combination of total smugness and incorrectness, and you're making us all stupider for it.

And I rarely see such a rush to judge someone so harshly over something so relatively innocuous. Setting aside the fact that it's OK for someone to be wrong and for us to correct them in a constructive manner, I'm not even sure that that user being wrong is so dangerous to one's health, as the end of your comment implies.

Now, if the user had said something to the effect of, "Bleach and ammonia are perfectly fine to mix together, I am not aware of any documentation that suggests otherwise," then, yes, that is a tremendously dangerous thing to tell someone and reasonable people should absolutely call them out for spreading FUD. But what happened here is different.

The user simply said, "Hey, I don't know that these kinds of filters can actually work to remove lead". That's it. Anybody reading this, who is concerned that there may be lead in their water, isn't at any greater risk of consuming it now than they were prior to reading the user's statement.

I use the brita elite filter. its about 30$ for 2 of them and they last 6 months.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU7973W

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