Contaminant · Lead
What water filters remove lead
Lead
The short answer
Lead reduction is certified under NSF/ANSI 53, NSF/ANSI 58 and NSF/ANSI 62. It has no federal MCL. It is regulated as a treatment technique with an action level of 0.015 mg/L, which is an enforcement trigger for the water utility rather than a safety limit for your tap. Its health-based goal is zero, meaning no amount is considered safe.
Of the 2 systems in our database that advertise lead reduction, 2 hold a matching third-party listing.
- NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 53 permits this claim, but no system we hold carries it under that standard.
- NSF/ANSI 582 of the 2 certified systems we hold carry this claim under NSF/ANSI 58.
- NSF/ANSI 62NSF/ANSI 62 permits this claim, but no system we hold carries it under that standard.
Regulatory status · United States
- Current federal limit
- 15 ppb
- Lead. Parts per billion. Action level, not an MCL.
- Status
- ✓In force, treatment technique
- Lead has no MCL. It is regulated under the Lead and Copper Rule as a treatment technique with an action level. Most filter marketing calls this an MCL. It is not.
- Pending change
- None recorded.
Settled. We re-check the federal register entry quarterly and stamp this panel with the date of the last check.
Certified to reduce Lead
2 systemsEvery row below has a matching listing in a certifier database, checked on 20 Sep 2026. Sorted by FilterSpecs score.
| System | Score | Reduction | Standard | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APEC ULTIMATE RO-90 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis System | 6.2 | Not published | NSF/ANSI 58 | $232.99 |
| GE Appliances GXRV40TBN Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System | 5.9 | Not published | NSF/ANSI 58 | $259.99 |
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Reduction figures are the certified performance in the listing, not manufacturer marketing. See methodology.