The Water Quality Association (WQA) said a new study conducted on behalf of the Association for Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) underscores the need to combat counterfeit water treatment products. The Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) helped with the study by performing extraction testing and funded a portion of the research production at a total cost of $35,000.

“This study is the first comprehensive look at the health and safety effects of the counterfeit filters,” said WQA Executive Director Pauli Undesser. “Counterfeit filters are a risk to consumers because of the unpredictability of how they may perform.”

Consumers may purchase filters online thinking they are buying genuine, certified filters, when, in fact, the bogus filters may contain only scraps of paper and do not filter the water at all.

Among the findings, according to AHAM, “Of the 32 filters tested for removal of lead, 100 percent failed to meet NSF/ANSI standards to two times the life cycle, which is notable since most consumers do not replace their filters at the required six-month mark.”

WQA has worked with AHAM on the counterfeit issue and continues to work with federal authorities to eliminate counterfeits from the marketplace.

Visit www.WQA.org.