PFOA in well water
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private wells tested in Middlesex County, New Jersey had pfoa above the limit, the highest share of any county, according to NJDEP Private Well Testing Act summaries.
PFOA is a forever chemical from firefighting foam, industrial discharge and consumer products. It builds up in the body and is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune effects and low birth weight.
- EPA limit
- 4 ng/L (EPA MCL (2024 PFAS rule); New Hampshire MCL is 12 ng/L)
- New Jersey level
- 14 ng/L
- CAS number
- 335-67-1
Check your PFOA number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your own well for PFOA
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove PFOA
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For PFOA
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For PFOA
Whole-house PFAS carbon system
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
For PFOA
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis
under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where pfoa is worst, by homeowner tests
Counties ranked by the share of private wells above the state guidance level in tests homeowners sent to the state lab. Shares combine town summaries, weighted by wells tested.
| County | Above state level | Wells tested | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County, New Jersey | 131 | ||
| Middlesex County, Massachusetts | 274 | 312 ng/L | |
| Bergen County, New Jersey | 530 | ||
| Passaic County, New Jersey | 931 | ||
| Essex County, Massachusetts | 67 | 30.1 ng/L | |
| Kent County, Michigan | 1,595 | 16,000 ng/L | |
| Plymouth County, Massachusetts | 110 | 31.7 ng/L | |
| Bristol County, Massachusetts | 144 | 16.4 ng/L | |
| Nantucket County, Massachusetts | 48 | 27.4 ng/L | |
| Worcester County, Massachusetts | 185 | 22 ng/L | |
| Sussex County, New Jersey | 2,246 | ||
| Morris County, New Jersey | 1,851 | ||
| Dukes County, Massachusetts | 77 | 36.1 ng/L | |
| Somerset County, New Jersey | 911 | ||
| Cape May County, New Jersey | 696 |
By individual samples
Counties with at least 30 individual samples in public monitoring data, against the EPA limit.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County, Massachusetts | 113 | 86% | 19 ng/L | |
| Athens County, Ohio | 120 | 78% | 32 ng/L | |
| Washington County, Ohio | 444 | 72% | 44.5 ng/L | |
| Suffolk County, New York | 60 | 72% | 8.25 ng/L | |
| Rockingham County, New Hampshire | 2,124 | 89% | 7.1 ng/L | |
| Hillsborough County, New Hampshire | 3,781 | 96% | 5.8 ng/L | |
| Nassau County, New York | 93 | 68% | 8.1 ng/L | |
| Hennepin County, Minnesota | 56 | 91% | 4.28 ng/L | |
| Pima County, Arizona | 136 | 82% | 4.05 ng/L | |
| Somerset County, Maine | 576 | 73% | 2.59 ng/L | |
| Maricopa County, Arizona | 242 | 70% | 2.22 ng/L | |
| Meigs County, Ohio | 68 | 46% | 0 ng/L | |
| Burlington County, New Jersey | 43 | 42% | 0 ng/L | |
| Yavapai County, Arizona | 116 | 42% | 0 ng/L | |
| Kennebec County, Maine | 450 | 65% | 0.73 ng/L |
How to test
Use a state-certified lab and a proper sampling bottle; hardware-store strips cannot measure pfoa at the levels that matter. Collect from the kitchen tap before any treatment, and again after treatment if you install it.
How to treat
- Granular activated carbon whole-house
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Anion exchange
Analysis: PFAS in private wells: known sources versus routine testing, from the same public records.