Based on EPA UCMR5 monitoring data, EPA SDWIS federal violations records, and EWG Tap Water Database published findings.
Industrial legacy contamination is a documented factor in this water system's quality profile, per EPA SDWIS and EWG records. Detected compounds are consistent with chemical manufacturing, metal processing, or related industry historically present in this region.
Water source: Surface water (Delaware/Schuylkill rivers)
Water utility: Philadelphia Water Department
Detected at approximately 5.1 ppt per EPA monitoring data — above the EPA's 4 ppt maximum contaminant level (effective 2026). Reverse osmosis or AquaTru filtration removes 99%+ of PFAS compounds.
The EPA's new maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS is 4 ppt, effective 2026. PFAS compounds have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune disruption, and developmental issues at chronic exposure levels per peer-reviewed research.
The following contaminants have been detected or are associated with elevated risk in this water system, per available EPA and EWG published data:
These detections are drawn from EPA SDWIS federal violations database and EWG Tap Water Database records. EWG health guidelines are stricter than EPA legal limits and reflect long-term exposure risk.
EPA SDWIS records show 0 health-based violation(s) and 1 lead action-level violation(s) in the past 5 years at this utility. Violations reflect the legal threshold; actual health risk at sub-violation levels is addressed by EWG health guidelines used in HAVEN's scoring.
Reverse osmosis filtration is strongly recommended. AquaTru Carafe ($149) or APEC ROES-50 under-sink RO ($250) remove essentially all documented contaminants in this system. Standard pitcher filters are NOT sufficient for this risk level.
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