Whole home approach to PFAS removal and certification

Every certification matters – but only when they reflect how water is actually used in the home, not just in the lab.

If there’s one thing Australians hate, it’s paying for something that doesn’t do the job. From tradie tales to dodgy gadgets, we’ve all been stung. So when it comes to something as serious as PFAS in drinking water, no one wants a product that promises protection but delivers a false sense of security.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – PFAS, or “forever chemicals” – have haunted the water conversation for decades. They don’t break down; they bioaccumulate and are linked to a growing list of health concerns. Exposure is so widespread that studies suggest up to 96 per cent of the global population has PFAS in their blood.

Initially developed for their resistance to heat, water, and oil, PFAS compounds were used in everything from non-stick cookware and food packaging to firefighting foams. But their durability is precisely what makes them dangerous. Once released, they linger – travelling through soil, air, and water, contaminating ecosystems and accumulating up the food chain.

The problem is far from theoretical. In 2024, the Stan documentary How to Poison a Planet, led by investigative journalist Carrie Fellner and produced in collaboration with The Sydney Morning Herald, brought national attention to PFAS contamination in places such as Jervis Bay. The documentary followed years of community advocacy and deepened public awareness of the risks linked to long-term exposure.

Its release coincided with renewed scrutiny from the Federal Government, including the reactivation of the Senate Standing Committee on PFAS. With growing political and media pressure, regulatory agencies began responding. Australians started asking tougher questions about what’s in their water, how it’s treated, and what kind of protection they need.

Standards under scrutiny

Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has since proposed new drinking water guidelines that align more closely with international benchmarks. The most significant change involves PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) – one of the most studied PFAS compounds – where the allowable concentration would drop from 70 nanograms per litre (ng/L) to just four ng/L.

Other compounds, such as PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), and PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulfonate), are also included in the revised guidelines, signalling a broader shift toward precaution.

In the United States, the allowable limits are even stricter. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed enforceable maximum contaminant levels for PFOS and PFOA at just four parts per trillion. The comparison underscores how urgently filtration systems in Australia must evolve to meet draft targets and anticipate where the science is heading.

Public health experts have welcomed these proposed changes, but they also highlight the need for filtration systems that can perform to these tighter standards – not just on paper but in people’s homes.

From lab tests to laundry taps

Suzanne Dodds, a long-time advocate for better household water treatment, has spent years navigating this space. Since 2018, her team at Complete Home Filtration has focused on developing a system to remove PFAS at the point where water enters the home. They aim to deliver consistent, reliable performance under real-life conditions, not just laboratory scenarios.

“Too often, filtration systems are designed to pass a test, not solve a problem,” Dodds said. “And when those tests don’t reflect how people actually use water, the certification risks becoming a box-ticking exercise.”

A typical Australian household uses 600 to 1000 litres per day – far exceeding the volumes under which many certified systems are tested. Dodds said it’s not uncommon to find whole-home systems certified for less than 5000 litres total. That might pass a technical threshold, but it’s functionally useless in a real-world setting, where that amount of water could be used up in less than a week.

What’s in a certification?

Certifications such as NSF and IAPMO (global organisations that certify water treatment products against health and safety standards) help, but they can mislead without context, Dodds said.

Their marks indicate a product has been independently tested, often to confirm it reduces specific contaminants such as PFAS. However, testing conditions can vary significantly, and consumers need to read the fine print.

“It’s not just about having the badge,” Dodds said. “The certification standards allow manufacturers to choose the conditions under which their systems are tested. A system might pass at a flow rate of four litres per minute but be functionally useless in a normal household. Some systems are certified for only a few thousand litres, which might sound like a lot, but a family of four can use that in a week.”

These nuances matter. Consumers are increasingly looking for proof – not just marketing claims – that their systems will last, perform consistently, and deliver safety across all taps in the home.

From product to protection: Getting filtration right

As PFAS awareness grows, so does the demand for solutions. Dodds said more tradespeople and resellers are entering the market – many with good intentions – but they don’t always have the technical background to interpret certifications or evaluate filter performance.

“There’s a genuine desire to help, and that’s a good thing,” Dodds said. “Filtration is a specialised field, with complex chemistry and performance standards behind it. It’s essential to go beyond marketing claims and understand how systems are designed to work.”

She said consumers shouldn’t just choose a product, they should choose a knowledgeable supplier who can match the right system to their household’s needs.

One point often overlooked is the importance of whole-home or point-of-entry filtration. Under-sink systems are limited to a single tap and don’t treat water used for bathing, cooking, or brushing teeth.

“There is growing science that suggests PFAS doesn’t just enter your body through drinking water,” Dodds said. “It’s also absorbed through the skin when you shower, bathe or even wash your hands. That’s why whole-home systems are so important.”

Dodds said one of the most common mistakes people make is assuming that water safety starts and ends with the kitchen tap. But the risk remains unless every drop is filtered before entering the home – often in ways most people don’t even consider.

Bridging the gap between lab and life

Years of research, field trials, and system design have helped Dodds’ team fine-tune a solution for Australian homes. The latest systems from Complete Home Filtration are now undergoing international certification, with designs built for high flow rates and realistic usage volumes. Their development has involved support from academic institutions and extensive field testing in PFAS-affected communities.

Dodds believes that addressing PFAS at the domestic level is just one piece of a much larger puzzle – infrastructure, regulation, and public awareness must also evolve. In the meantime, people need trusted, practical solutions to protect their families.

“We’ve done the research, built the systems, and tested extensively on PFAS impacted sites with internationally certified labs for large volume performance,” Dodds said. “Too many filters are built for lab conditions, not people’s lives. Every Australian should be confident that what’s coming out of their tap isn’t just clear, but clean.”

For more information, visit completehomefiltration.com.au