At Moen, your family’s water quality and experiences with water are important to us. That’s why we’re giving you tools and resources to help you better understand and improve the quality of drinking water in your home. As you learn more about your water quality, it’s especially important to learn about contaminants, common water pollutants and harmful drinking water chemicals.

Man filling coffee pot with Moen Haysfield kitchen faucet

Types of Contaminants

The Safe Drinking Water Act defines a contaminant as any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter in water.1 When a contaminant is present in drinking water, it doesn’t necessarily pose a health risk, but some contaminants may be harmful if they’re consumed at certain levels.

Since the early 1900s, chlorine has been widely used to disinfect treated water to reduce the risk of waterborne pathogens and diseases, making it a significant public health achievement of the last century.2 Today, other disinfectants such as ozone and ultraviolet light are used as contaminant removal solutions, but chlorine and chloramine remain the most widely used chemicals for disinfection in the U.S.

Woman filling water pitcher with Moen Boman Kitchen Faucet

What are Disinfection Byproducts?

When chlorine is added to water, it can react with naturally occurring organic compounds, forming hundreds of different types of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Even though some DBPs have no toxicity, long-term exposure to certain unintended byproducts could have health risks.3 Some commonly monitored DBPs include total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), which are comprised of chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform, and haloacetic acids (HAAs).4 Due to the increased risk of cancer caused by long-term exposure to this class of compounds, the EPA has regulated TTHMs and HAAs by creating maximum contaminant levels and mandating compliance monitoring requirements.5

What are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manufactured chemicals found in many commonly used consumer products such as cookware, stain repellents, cleaning products, carpeting and construction materials, and food packaging.6 Often referred to as "forever chemicals," PFAS don’t break down once they’re released into the environment.7

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are the two most widely studied PFAS.8 Even though PFOA and PFOS have been phased out by industries within the U.S., they still persist in the environment and continue to enter the country through imported products. Many other PFAS have not been phased out and are still widely used. Studies have found PFAS in nearly all people tested in the U.S., indicating that there has been widespread exposure throughout the country.9 The stability of these compounds also means they tend to accumulate in bodies over time, and high levels of PFAS have been linked with adverse health impacts, such as cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and an increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease.10

In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to several harmful PFAS. By establishing maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and health-based, non-enforceable maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs), the EPA expects to reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses.

As part of a government-wide effort to confront PFAS pollution, the EPA also announced $1 billion in newly available funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As part of a $9 billion total investment, this funding will be used to help communities with drinking water impacted by PFAS. This includes small or disadvantaged communities and those facing disproportionate impacts invest in water quality testing, training, and centralized treatment technologies and systems.12

Water Quality Test

Unused Pharmaceuticals

People are using more and more pharmaceuticals and personal care products each year, and unfortunately these chemicals are increasingly being detected at low levels in surface water.13 Drug take-back programs and educating the public on the best way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals are crucial ways to help keep these chemicals out of the environment and prevent chemical water contamination. However, they can still make their way into the environment through normal usage, like washing off of your skin or excretion, and sewage treatment plants aren’t designed to remove them from wastewater.14

A typical chlorination treatment removes about 50% of pharmaceuticals, and while low concentrations of pharmaceuticals don’t pose a short-term risk to your health, there’s still a lot that we don’t know.15 Drug take-back programs are the best and safest ways to dispose of your unused or expired prescriptions and over the counter drugs. Many pharmacies accept unwanted pharmaceuticals year-round, and you can find a list of permanent disposal sites on the Diversion Control website. You can also dispose of your prescriptions during a take-back event on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in October.

Microplastic Pollution

Microplastics

Plastic is a huge part of our day-to-day lives, and the environmental impact of plastic continues to grow as more and more of it enters our landfills and ecosystems. A shocking 88% of our oceans are masked by harmful plastics, most of it microplastic.16 Microplastics are small fragments or particles of plastic ranging from 5 millimeters to 1 nanometer in size that come from larger pieces of plastic or waste that have deteriorated over time.17 These fragments have been found in every corner of the world — from the Antarctic tundra to inside aquatic life — and also in our drinking water.18 Researchers sampled tap water from cities around the world and found that 81% of samples contained microplastics.19

Most microplastics come from synthetic clothes as they’re washed or worn down, car tires that erode through normal wear and tear on the road, and city dust.20 Since microplastic research is still an evolving field, the health effects are unknown, but the EPA is reviewing research to determine the extent of micro and nanoplastic pollution in water sources.

Corrosive Copper Pipe

Lead and copper

Of all the contaminants that affect water quality, none are more closely followed than copper and lead. As the pipes and water mains in the U.S. water network continue to age, corrosion releases toxic heavy metals in water, like lead.

At the end of 2020, the EPA finalized the first major update to the lead and copper rule in almost 30 years, which is currently undergoing review and public comment. In children, exposure to lead causes irreversible and long-term negative health impacts, including decreasing focus, IQ and academic achievement.21 The revised rule is meant to better protect children and communities, requiring that community water systems check the levels of lead in elementary schools and child care centers within their service territories.22

The new rule has also modified the tap sampling protocols to better capture elevated lead problems and lead coming in from service lines. If lead is found above the new threshold of 10 parts per billion (ppb), more rapid action will be required, including corrosion control, treatment and replacement of lead service lines. The new rule will trigger more instances when lead service lines must be completely replaced, compared to the previous rule. It will also require more transparency, such as providing the public with an inventory of lead service lines and notifying customers whose water tests show a presence of lead.

If you’d like to learn more about water quality testing for contaminants like lead, you can contact your water provider for options, or complete an independent test with a certified lab. Visit tapscore.com to find targeted water test kits that can help answer some of the questions you may have about your water.