Water News

How to Reduce Toxicants in Your Home to Prevent Childhood Exposure to Lead and PFOA/PFOS

June is Healthy Homes Month, a time to recognize the importance of creating and maintaining healthy homes for families everywhere. We’ve partnered with the Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN) to raise awareness about childhood Lead and PFOS/PFOA exposure. Read these tips on how to reduce your family's exposure to toxicants.

September 16, 2026

Every June, Healthy Homes Month puts a spotlight on the everyday hazards families deal with at home, and two of the most common in drinking water are lead and PFOA/PFOS. Both carry real risks for children specifically, and both are worth understanding if you're trying to make your home safer.

Risks and Prevention of Lead Exposure

Lead is a neurotoxic heavy metal that can have lasting effects on a child, including behavior and learning problems and lowered IQ. In adults, lead exposure is linked to reproductive issues, kidney problems, cardiovascular disease, and nerve disorders. Pregnant or breastfeeding people and children under six are most at risk, since both groups are in a rapid state of development.

The CDC states plainly that there is no identified safe level of lead in a child's blood.

How Are Children Exposed to Lead?

Drinking unfiltered tap water, especially from a private well or through older pipes
Lead paint, usually found in older housing
Lead-glazed pottery or glassware
Certain consumer goods, including some cosmetics, toys, and jewelry
Household dust and clothing that tracks in lead-contaminated soil from outside

How Does Lead Exposure Affect Children?

Damage to the central nervous system
Slowed growth and development
Learning and behavioral problems

Why Is Lead Harmful?

Lead is a neurotoxicant that accumulates in the brain, blood, and bones. In children, it can cross a still-developing blood-brain barrier and cause irreversible damage.

How to Reduce Lead Exposure

Test your water for lead, and use a water filter certified to reduce it. ZeroWater's 5-stage filters are IAPMO certified to reduce lead by up to 98.9%, tested against NSF/ANSI Standard 53.
Run your water for at least 2 minutes before drinking or cooking with it if it's been sitting unused
Regularly clean your faucet's aerator
Take shoes off indoors to avoid tracking in lead-contaminated soil
Make handwashing part of the routine when people come inside
Check out the Lead-Safe Toolkit for Home-Based Child Care, developed by the Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN), a national nonprofit focused on children's environmental health

Lead risk in schools is worth a separate mention: aging school buildings and water that sits unused over weekends and summer breaks both raise the odds of lead contamination, and state-level testing requirements vary widely. If you're a parent, it's worth asking your child's school directly about its testing and filtration practices.

Risks and Prevention of PFOA/PFOS Exposure

PFOS and PFOA are man-made compounds belonging to a larger group of chemicals called PFAS, and both have increasingly turned up in public and private drinking water.

What Is the Difference Between PFOS and PFOA?

PFOS is a persistent compound that repels water, grease, and dirt, often used to coat pans or rain gear. PFOA repels oil and water and is used in Teflon, the non-stick coating on cookware, and in fast-food wrappers and takeout containers. Neither breaks down naturally, so both accumulate in the water supply over time.

How Does Exposure to PFOA and PFOS Affect Health?

According to the CDC, PFOA/PFOS exposure has been linked to:

Developmental effects on fetuses during pregnancy or on breastfed infants, including low birth weight and skeletal variations
Testicular or kidney cancer
Liver damage
Immune effects, including reduced antibody response
Thyroid and cholesterol changes

How to Reduce Exposure to PFOS/PFOA

Move away from non-stick cookware, even products labeled "PFOA-free"
Bring your own container for restaurant leftovers
Pop popcorn on the stove instead of using microwave bags, which are often lined with PFAS
Avoid stain-resistant sprays like Scotchgard
Use a water filter certified to reduce PFOA/PFOS
For more ways to reduce PFAS exposure day to day, Clean Water Action's PFAS action guide is a useful reference

ZeroWater's 5-stage filters are IAPMO certified to reduce 99.8% of PFOA/PFOS, in addition to lead, chromium, and mercury. Get peace of mind knowing your family's water is being addressed on the contaminants that matter most.

For more on protecting children's health from environmental hazards at home or in child care settings, CEHN's Eco-Healthy Child Care factsheets and Lead-Safe Toolkit are both free resources worth bookmarking.