Water · Best-of
Best Water Filter for Mercury
Bottom line
In our scoring, the Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup) is the best water filter for mercury, leading with a composite of 8.4 on the strength of its broad certified contaminant scope - mercury, lead, and PFOA/PFOS among them - at a low cost per gallon. The Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink is our runner-up for households that prefer a plumbed-in filter.
If you want mercury out of your drinking water, the only filters worth your money are ones with an accredited certification for mercury reduction. The EPA sets a federal limit of 2 parts per billion for mercury in drinking water because it is a heavy metal that accumulates in the body. Every product on this list carries a certification for mercury reduction listed on an official database (NSF, WQA, or IAPMO) - we exclude any filter that is only "tested to" a standard, because in our view that marketing phrase proves nothing. In our scoring, a verified mercury certification is the price of admission here.
How we score: We require a mercury-reduction certification that is verifiable on an official NSF, WQA, or IAPMO database, then rank the qualifying filters by our composite score, which weights certified contaminant scope, cost per gallon, and rating honesty.
- 18.4Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup)
The Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA/NSF/IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.167 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 120 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.167
- 27.5Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink
The Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, lead, mercury, cysts, VOCs, MTBE, turbidity, PFOA, PFOS. It is also marketed for pharmaceuticals, for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $0.091 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, lead, mercury, cysts, VOCs, MTBE, turbidity, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 500 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.091
- 37.2Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink
The Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA) to reduce lead, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, PFOA, PFOS, VOCs, mercury, asbestos, cysts, MTBE, microplastics, pharmaceuticals. Running cost works out to about $0.148 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, PFOA, PFOS, VOCs, mercury, asbestos, cysts, MTBE, microplastics, pharmaceuticals
- Cartridge life: 500 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.148
- 46.6Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO
The Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO is a ro water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, total dissolved solids (TDS), lead, fluoride, cadmium, chromium-6, selenium, arsenic, nitrate, mercury, copper, barium, PFOA, PFOS. Running cost works out to about $0.123 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, total dissolved solids (TDS), lead, fluoride, cadmium, chromium-6, selenium, arsenic, nitrate, mercury, copper, barium, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 2,200 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.123
- 56.4PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H)
The PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H) is a faucet water filter. It is third-party certified (NSF) to reduce lead, chlorine taste and odor, mercury, asbestos, benzene, microplastics, pesticides. Running cost works out to about $0.250 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, chlorine taste and odor, mercury, asbestos, benzene, microplastics, pesticides
- Cartridge life: 100 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.250
- 65.9PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup)
The PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (NSF/WQA) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.374 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 40 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.374
- 75.6Brita Standard Pitcher
The Brita Standard Pitcher is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, zinc, copper, cadmium, mercury. Running cost works out to about $0.200 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, zinc, copper, cadmium, mercury
- Cartridge life: 40 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.200
- 84.9ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup)
The ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS. It is also marketed for total dissolved solids (TDS), for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $1.167 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 15 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $1.167
- 94.1Epic Smart Shield Under-Sink
The Epic Smart Shield Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, chloramine, mercury, cysts, pharmaceuticals. It is also marketed for PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics, for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $0.177 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, chloramine, mercury, cysts, pharmaceuticals
- Cartridge life: 651 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.177
FAQ
- Which water filter removes mercury best?
- In our scoring, the Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup) ranks first among filters certified for mercury, with a composite of 8.4. It carries an accredited mercury-reduction certification along with certifications for lead, cadmium, and PFOA/PFOS. Our ranking reflects our rubric, which rewards a broad certified contaminant scope at a low cost per gallon.
- What does "certified for mercury" actually mean?
- It means the filter is listed on an official certification database (NSF, WQA, or IAPMO) as reducing mercury under a recognized standard. We treat this as completely different from "tested to" a standard, which is a marketing phrase a manufacturer can use without an accredited listing. We only include filters with a verifiable mercury certification.
- Why does mercury in drinking water matter?
- The EPA sets a maximum contaminant level of 2 parts per billion for mercury in drinking water because mercury is a heavy metal that can accumulate in the body over time. This describes the contaminant, not any health outcome from a specific product. A filter certified for mercury reduction is verified to lower mercury under the conditions of its standard.