While trust in filtered water has generally remained steady at around 50% over this time, there’s been a steady drop in trust for bottled water. In fact, the percentage of Americans who believe bottled water is the most trustworthy source of clean drinking water has dropped from 41% in 2019 and 2020 to just 20% in 2023 (a decrease of 51%).
Awareness and concerns around microplastics may be one explanation for the drop in the perceived trustworthiness of bottled water. Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that are less than 5 millimeters in size, which may not be visible to the naked eye. They come from plastic waste as it degrades, can be ingested without you knowing, and are associated with a range of health impacts.
Our survey found that 94% of Americans are at least somewhat familiar with microplastics, and 89% are at least somewhat concerned about microplastics being in their drinking water. Furthermore, more than a quarter (26%) are very concerned about microplastics being in their drinking water.
Their concern may be warranted, as a study analyzing samples from 259 bottled waters found that 93% of them contained microplastics. As bottled water sits, tiny microscopic particles break off from the bottles and may be ingested when a person drinks. Water filters can be used to reduce microplastics and make water healthier, such as Aquasana systems featuring Claryum® technology that are certified to remove up to 99% of microplastics, among other contaminants.
What contaminants concern people the most in 2023 and how has this changed over time?
Water filters make water safer to drink by removing contaminants, but which contaminants concern people the most? To find out, we asked Americans what their top water contaminant concern was in 2023. Here were the top five answers, with a visual breakdown of the complete results:
- Chlorine/Chloramines: 24%
- Lead: 16%
- PFOA/PFOS: 14%
- Pesticides & Herbicides: 14%
- Bacteria, Cysts, & Viruses: 14%
Before we dive into the long-term trends behind the top concerns, we wanted to note that Aquasana countertop and under sink systems are all certified to reduce up to 99% of each of the top five contaminants, and up to 89 contaminants in total. If you’re concerned about any of these contaminants affecting the safety of your tap water, get a system that’s certified to address the contaminants in your water.
Chlorine and Chloramines: 24%
Chlorine and chloramines are Americans’ top water contaminant concerns in 2023, and concern for these contaminants has steadily increased over the last four years. For context, just 14% of Americans selected chlorine and chloramines as their top contaminant concern in 2020, but nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans listed it as their top selection in 2023, marking a 71% increase.
For those wondering how chlorine and chloramines get in our drinking water and why they’re bad, here’s what you need to know. These chemicals are frequently used in water treatment facilities by public municipalities. Chlorine and chloramines are great at disinfecting water by killing microorganisms that cause disease, but trace amounts of the chemicals can linger after the treatment process and even create disinfection byproducts (new chemicals) by reacting with contaminants in the water when it’s treated. This means the water you get from your local municipality may have chemical contaminants, even if it’s been treated.
Chlorine and chloramines are also associated with some negative health effects. For example, chlorine vapors that are produced while showering can be especially irritating for those with asthma, and these disinfectants can cause issues for kidney dialysis patients if their water is not properly treated and filtered. Considering that these chemicals often get into water during the treatment process, consumers' best option for protection is investing in a system like the OptimH2O®, which is independently tested to reduce 90% of chlorine and chloramines.
The decreasing concern over lead may be due to reduced media coverage, as outlets are opting to focus on newer contaminants like PFAS. Our data supports this hypothesis, as we asked people who selected lead as their top contaminant about their reason for doing so, and there was a 44% drop in the percentage of people who said it’s because lead is the contaminant they hear about most often in the media (27% to 15%). Increased media coverage about other contaminants would likely also contribute to higher knowledge about water quality that we touched on earlier.
Despite minimized concern about lead overall, we saw there was a major spike (224%) in the percentage of people who listed lead as their top concern because it was found in their home’s water (17% to 55%). The exact cause of the spike is hard to determine, although it could be related to lead leaching, which occurs when chloramines interact with lead pipes and cause trace amounts to dissolve into tap water. As municipalities switch from chlorine to chloramines in the coming years, we may see lead contamination become more common.
PFOA/PFOS; Pesticides and Herbicides; Bacteria, Cysts and Viruses (tied): 14%
Tied for the third spot, we saw an equal number of Americans (14% each) select PFOA/PFOS, pesticides and herbicides, and bacteria, cysts and viruses as their top contaminant concern of 2023. The most prominent findings are around PFOA/PFOS, but we’ll provide an analysis of each contaminant group.
PFOA/PFOS
The reason why we’re talking about PFOA/PFOS first is because it had a massive spike in the percentage of people who selected it in 2023. For context, we saw just 3% of people select PFOA/PFOS as their top concern in 2020, and this grew to 4% in 2021 and 5% in 2022 — suggesting more people were slowly becoming aware of and concerned with these contaminants. However, in 2023 we saw an unprecedented increase to 14% (marking a 367% change since 2020).
Tying back to the central theme of our survey data analysis, increased knowledge seems to be tied to higher concern. In the case of PFOA/PFOS, the increase in concern we’ve seen correlates with more familiarity with the contaminant on the whole. For the past five years, we’ve asked Americans:
“How familiar are you with PFOA/PFOS as it relates to water?”
The results:
- 2019: 27%
- 2020: 26%
- 2021: 33%
- 2022: 61%
- 2023: 88%
Since 2020, we’ve seen a steady increase in familiarity with PFOA/PFOS chemicals as they relate to water. There was a prominent jump in 2022, and 2023 followed that up with a similar leap. As of today, 88% of Americans are at least somewhat familiar with PFOA/PFOS, which is likely what’s driving the higher concern.
Pesticides and Herbicides
There was a slight decrease in concern regarding pesticides and herbicides between 2022 and 2023, but the change in the past four years has been pretty minimal overall and is likely within the realm of normal variation.
In a 2022 survey post, we discussed how natural disasters can lead to pesticides and herbicides contaminating drinking water. These chemicals are used in farming, gardens, and lawns in order to keep bugs and weeds away. However, natural disasters like mudslides, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires can displace soil containing these contaminants into freshwater supplies. Beyond the actual contamination of water supplies, sometimes these natural disasters cause physical damage to water treatment facilities which can make it hard to get clean water in times of emergency.
Bacteria, Cysts, and Viruses
Concern over bacteria, cysts and viruses peaked during heavy pandemic years, but has since dropped over time. As we get further away from the peak of COVID-19, fewer Americans are selecting bacteria, cysts and viruses as their top contaminant concern. When we conducted our survey in 2021, nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans selected this as their top concern, slightly behind lead. The drop to just 14% in 2023 represents a 42% decrease in the last three years, and it’s possible this may continue to decline as we’re farther away from the pandemic and American concern shifts to other contaminants being discussed prominently in the news.
Key takeaways from our survey data
Overall, in 2023 we’re seeing that 70% of Americans are concerned about the quality of tap water in their home, a figure that’s increased each of the last three years. We believe the increase in concern is tied to growing knowledge about water quality, which has also correlated with record usage of water filters. We’ve also seen that the environment, health, and a lack of trust are motivating factors behind 9 out of 10 Americans using a water filter in 2023.
When diving into our extensive data on Americans’ top contaminant concerns, chlorine and chloramines took the top spot after four years of steady growth, dethroning lead which has seen a decline since 2020. Meanwhile, PFOA/PFOS took an unprecedented leap and made it near the top of the list of contaminant concerns for the first time in the history of our survey. For more information about our survey results, check back for follow-up posts that walk through additional 2023 findings.
Survey Methodology and Definitions
The findings presented in this article are the result of an April 2023 study of 2,414 U.S. adults, conducted by Aquasana. (Confidence Level: 95%, Margin of Error: 2%)
Age Cohorts (based on Pew Research)
- Baby Boomers: 1946-64
- Gen X: 1965-80
- Millennials: 1981-96
- Gen Z: 1997-2012
- For Age-Based Data – Confidence Level: 95%, Margin of Error: 3-9%
