Pesticides cause low testosterone, cancer, birth defects, and probably are involved with the autism epidemic. The EPA found 90% of American public water supply has atrazine in it, one of the nastiest pesticides. In this article, we’ll compare the best water filters that remove pesticides, to the best of our knowledge. We also go in-depth about the dangers of each type of chemical, how common it is in your water, and how to remove it.
But if you just want the bottom line right now, we think the best one of all is the countertop water filter from ProOne, because it removes aluminum too.
| Image | Product Details | Average pesticides removed | Removes Atrazine? | Removes Glyphosate? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ProOne Traveler+ Stainless-Steel Gravity Water Filter System | 98.6% | 99.9% | 100% |
 | ProOne Water Filter Pitcher | 98.6% | 99.9% | 100% |
 | Clearly Filtered Water Filter Pitcher | 99.3% | 99.8% | 99.9% |
 | ProOne ProMax Brushed Nickel Shower Filter | 64.8% | 54.1% | 47.5% |
Removing pesticides from your water is essential nowadays. Atrazine and glyphosate are two of the worst chemicals that get sprayed around. Thankfully, you can protect yourself from these chemicals with a good water filter. A high quality activated carbon filter will remove pesticides and chemicals, but to fully protect yourself from all the unnatural, health-damaging water contaminants like lead or mercury, you ought to get a full spectrum water filter.
Keep pesticides out of your diet! (original by JC Leyendecker)Countering The Problem!
A large countertop model is one of the most efficient water filters, even though it can be a bit expensive to start with. Filling up a big water filter is a lot better than a smaller water filter pitcher. With the pitcher, you might have to fill it multiple times a day, and then wait a while for the water to filter. The reality is that if you have to be hassled like this, you simply won’t use the water filter, and you’ll be exposed to pesticides again! So in our opinion the best water filter for pesticides is a countertop unit. You could also install a reverse osmosis system under the sink, but this costs more, and might not be allowed if you are renting. One thing we generally don’t recommend is a whole house reverse osmosis system, because it is inefficient.
The ProOne countertop water filter removes pesticides really well. It also removes everything else too! This water filter even removes fluoride. Here are their lab reports.
ProOne Big+ Stainless-Steel Gravity Water Filter System
Water should be free of chemicals like pesticides.Picture Life With a Pitcher
Water filter pitchers are good if you are traveling or you are on a budget. But even if you are on a budget, keep in mind the cost of frequently replacing the filters inside the pitcher. You can get a water filter pitcher that removes pesticides extremely well from ProOne or from Clearly Filtered. The pitcher from ClearlyFiltered slightly outperforms ProOne removing pesticides. Here are the labs. However, we think ProOne is very slightly better because it removes more aluminum, which is an extremely dangerous water contaminant.
Clearly Filtered Water Filter Pitcher
ProOne Water Filter Pitcher with Fruit Infuser
Deer drinking pure pesticide free water. No water filter needed!Filter Your Shower Too!
A water filter for your drinking water really isn’t enough. You need to remove pesticides from your shower water too. Chemicals are absorbed very well through the skin, especially in a hot, steam-filled shower. This is actually a very big source of exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Thankfully, you can get a showerhead water filter that removes some pesticides. Unfortunately, it is probably not possible to remove as much pesticides from fast moving shower water as a drinking water filter could do. But some removal is far better than nothing!
There are showerhead water filters available from ProOne and AquaBliss. They both have the technical ability to remove pesticides, but ProOne is probably better as they post lab results for their showerhead filter.
AquaBliss’s filtering ability is unknown, but their product is cheaper and more popular.
She wouldn’t need any water filters!How Dangerous Are Pesticides?
Drinking or showering in water full of pesticides is highly bad for your health. Not only does it promote cancer, it also lowers your hormones like testosterone. It also can damage your brain and the brain of your children. Some scientists think that pesticides are involved with the rapid increase in autism.
Pesticides Are Everywhere
Unfortunately, pesticides in your water is a real problem. Studies show that you are very likely drinking and showering in some amount of these chemicals today.
- 90% of USA municipal water contains Atrazine (causes birth defects)
- 94% of US rivers have Glyphosate in them (causes cancer)
It’s a rare water source that is truly free of pesticide contamination. It just makes sense to get a water filter that can remove pesticides (and the other contaminants too!).
A beautiful lake, back when there was no pesticide run-off.Dangers of Atrazine
Atrazine is banned in Europe, but in the USA, atrazine is used in huge amounts as one of the most popular pesticides. Scientists know that atrazine causes cancer. We know that it is an endocrine disruptor, which means that atrazine causes low testosterone, damages the development of reproductive organs, and may cause infertility and sexual dysfunction. Atrazine makes a baby grow into a less developed, healthy adult. It is essential to stop atrazine and other pesticides from permanently damaging you and your child’s hormones, and increasing the risk of cancer.
Up to 80 million pounds of atrazine are spread in the USA every year. The great majority of American water contains atrazine. Spikes in atrazine content to extremely high and dangerous levels are not uncommon. (Source)
But never fear! Good water filters can remove 99.9% of atrazine from your water.
Dangers of Glyphosate
Glyphosate is another chemical pesticide that is terrible for your health and the health of a growing child. It is the most popular pesticide in America. Glyphosate may be involved in the rise of autism. These scientists show why they think glyphosate is a big cause of autism. Another study found that rats exposed to glyphosate had offspring that behaved autistically. According to the book Toxic Legacy, glyphosate helps move neurotoxic aluminum into the brain, breaking past the body’s protective barrier.
The World Health Organization believes that glyphosate is probably linked to cancer.
The good news is that 100% of glyphosate can be removed by a well-designed water filter.
More Contaminants To Remove
Pesticides aren’t the only bad thing in your water. Your water filter also should remove heavy metals like aluminum, hormones like estrogen, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and all the other nasty things that unnaturally get into our water now. Many people want to remove fluoride as well. Pesticides aren’t the only chemical to worry about! Thankfully, a good water filter can remove pretty much all of these. We only recommend the best filters that can do it all, and do it well. Here’s our full, in-depth article on removing ALL the bad stuff from your water.
What Else Can I Do?
Getting your water from a deep well is a good way to minimize risk of pesticide consumption. In the long run, you could move towards having a well dug. Unfortunately pesticides even get into the deep aquifers that wells are fed from, but the problem is less bad than from municipal water or from shallow wells.
No pesticides in this pristine mountain lake.