Are your water filters genuine or fake? Here's how you can tell

Although the authorities say our tap water is safe to drink, many are still wary about drinking directly from the tap. — Photos: AFP

Clean, fresh water is a necessity for human life – to drink, bathe, irrigate farms and fields, etc.

With 70% of our planet covered with water, it’s natural to assume that we have water in abundance.

But the reality is that only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas, and floods in others.

If you’re a Klang Valley resident, then you know the frustrations of living with constant water disruptions, largely due to odour pollution, which is a warning sign of potential risk to human health.

Most of Klang Valley’s water comes from the Sungai Selangor and Sungai Langat river basins.

When the connecting rivers get polluted, water treatment plants that help remove impurities like heavy metals and disease-causing bacteria from the water, need to be shut to prevent pollutants from entering our homes.

Hence, our pipes run dry and anger rises.

When water flows again, it may be discoloured or have an odour.

On top of this, unexpected floods due to poor urban planning like those we witnessed last year, also expose our drinking water to more contaminants.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least two billion people globally use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces.

Microbiologically-contaminated drinking water can transmit diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio, and is estimated to cause 485,000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.

Safe and sufficient water facilitates the practice of hygiene, which is a key measure to prevent not only diarrhoeal diseases, but also acute respiratory infections such as Covid-19 and numerous neglected tropical diseases.

While the most important chemical risks in drinking water arise from arsenic, fluoride or nitrate, WHO says emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals (medicines), pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics are also of concern.

Although the National Water Service Commission assures us that our tap water is safe to drink, most, if not all, Malaysians will boil their tap water before drinking for extra assurance that all viruses, bacteria and parasites in it are killed.

Many also take the additional step of installing a water purifier or water filter in their homes.

And some even believe that bottled water is safer than tap water.

Microplastics are one of the emerging contaminants of concern when it comes to drinking water.

Quality stamp

The boom in online shopping, especially during the movement control order, has seen consumers purchasing all kinds of products just by tapping their fingers on their electronic gadgets.

Unfortunately, this has also increased the opportunity for unscrupulous sellers to fool buyers into purchasing counterfeit products.

So, how can we distinguish a genuine water filter from a fake, and verify the claims made by the manufacturer?

Like the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim) certification that guarantees safety and quality assurance for Malaysian products, there are independent third-party organisations globally that conduct rigorous tests on water filters and certify them.

Three such organisations are the Water Quality Association (WQA), IAPMO R&T and NSF International – all based in the United States.

If your water filter has a WQA, IAPMO R&T or NSF mark, rest assured that it has met strict standards for public health protection.

“Understanding third-party certification is crucial when choosing products as important as your water filter.

“Without certification from a third-party certifier, consumers have no way of knowing if a product is performing in the way that it claims.

“This peace of mind is key when it comes to confirming the filtering of contaminants in your drinking water that can impact your family’s health,” says NSF International Global Filtration Division senior manager Stefan Buck.

Certification is not a one-time event.

Many Malaysians install water filters outside their homes as an extra level of protection against potential contaminants in their pipe water. — Filepic

It involves regular on-site inspections of manufacturing facilities and routine retesting of products to confirm that they continue to meet the same high standards required to maintain certification over time.

If, for any reason, a product fails to meet one or more certification criteria during a routine retest, the non-profit certifying body will take action to protect consumers.

These actions include a product recall, public notification or decertification.

To identify a certified product, look for a round mark label, which is often on a sticker or tag, along with a product model number and/or the Sirim symbol.

Counterfeits may have a fake, incorrect or tiny symbol, or no certification mark at all.

Sniffing out fakes

Like all fakes, a counterfeit water filter resembles a genuine water filter and it can sometimes be impossible to tell the difference between them for non-experts.

However, counterfeits do not contain the same technologies as certified devices do.

Our human senses cannot detect many contaminants found in water, so the water we drink may still seem to taste and smell fine, but can harm our health.

Last October (2021), the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry seized 2,797 water filters imported from South Korea for not being approved, despite being distributed by a licensed seller.

The ministry had raised the concern that the public would be misled into buying such water filters from licensed sellers as they may assume that the products are approved by default.

Some of the consequences of counterfeit water filtration systems include:

• Failure to remove contaminants such as lead, mercury, herbicides, pesticides, asbestos and pharmaceuticals, from your drinking water.
• Leaching additional contaminants into your drinking water from the counterfeit filter.
• Damage to your other appliances and violation of their warranty.
• Cracking, leaking or bursting after being installed.

Says Buck: “We recommend always going through an authorised vendor and avoiding online transactions with suspicious sellers.

“Once you receive the product or purchase it in person, there are a few things you can look for to check if the filter is legitimate.

“First, look for incorrect symbols on the packaging or the absence of a certification mark.

“Second, feel the weight of the filter; counterfeits tend to weigh less than a real filter.

“When in doubt, check if the filter is certified by NSF or other agencies on their websites.” (see infographic below)

Different filters

There are many different water filtration systems that remove different contaminants.

These include activated carbon, hollow fibre membrane, catalytic carbon and mixed media.

“Depending on what is in your water, you may want to look for other treatment technologies, such as reverse osmosis membranes or ultraviolet disinfection.

“Almost all residential treatment technologies can be certified and undergo the same evaluations.

“For example, certain water filters with ultrafiltration can remove 99.9% of bacteria.

“It is important to check your local water quality report to identify what contaminants you want to remove and look for a filter that can remove those before purchasing it.

“Additionally, having a certified water filter is crucial to make sure that those claims have been verified by a third party.

“Remember that many contaminants are undetectable through taste and smell,” points out Buck.

Water filters can also change the existing taste of the water and reduce its odour.

He explains: “The different types of water filters including ceramic, alkaline, carbon, etc, have an intricate process of filtration.

“Because these different types of water filters remove contaminants differently, they can make a difference in the taste and odour.

“While consumers can purchase the type of water filter they prefer, one that is certified assures the filter works as it claims and that the water filtered is safe and palatable.”

All genuine water filters come with a maintenance schedule included in the owner’s manual that will state how often they should be changed, though many consumers tend to forget about this.

“It is important to check those when purchasing and installing a water filter.

“The suggested filter change cycle could be for a certain number of litres or an estimate of how long a cartridge will last in a typical home.

“It is highly recommended to change the filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure it continues to properly filter out contaminants,” says Buck.

He adds that NSF International recently launched the #KnowYourFilter campaign to drive conversation and educate consumers on water filter certifications in Malaysia.

As your water filter begins to wear out, it will become less effective at filtering out the various chemicals, minerals and microbes that may be present in the water supply.

When the water that you drink starts tasting or smelling different – that’s a sign that the filter needs to be replaced.

A word of caution if you do choose to purchase a water filter for your home: do not compromise on quality.