Lead Reduction Certification: Check the System and the Replacement Cartridge

A lead-reduction certification is written for a named filter system and the replacement cartridge listed with it, not for the brand on the box. The Brita Elite filter (OB06), for example, is certified for lead in a specific list of Brita pitcher models, and the PUR PLUS faucet filter (RF-9999) appears in NSF's lead-reduction directory as the replacement element for PUR's PFM200B faucet system. At reorder time, the listed cartridge model is the one that matches the listing, and the system is meant to run within the capacity and conditions its brand prints.

An overview of which brands offer water filters certified to remove lead names the brands. The questions that come up after the first purchase are narrower: which cartridge belongs in which housing, what limits the brand prints, and how a near-identical cartridge can differ.

What a Lead Claim Actually Covers

EPA's June 2024 guide to identifying lead-reduction filters describes what a certified claim looks like: certification bodies require their mark and a statement of testing against NSF/ANSI 53 along with a claim of lead reduction. Claims that do not appear on the package can typically be found on the performance data sheet inside it, in the certifier's directory, or on the manufacturer's website. The same guide notes that some filters are certified by more than one body and carry several marks, which is the case for the Brita Elite filter in the table below, and that the marks appear on the packaging, on the filter, or on the smallest container the filter comes in.

Those records tie several things together: the system model (the pitcher body, faucet housing or under-sink head), the replacement element, the rated capacity, and conditions such as maximum water temperature or daily volume that the brand prints on its data sheet. Lead appears as its own named claim, a point covered in more depth in a guide to NSF/ANSI 53 certification. NSF's lead-reduction directory tells shoppers to look for certification to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 with lead listed among the contaminants reduced, and it notes that the listed products were tested at 68°F.

Listed Pairs, With the Limits Printed Beside Them

The pairs below come from certifier listings and the brands' current data sheets and product pages, checked in October and November 2026.

NSF's directory adds two more separate-tap pairs worth knowing by model number: the Brita Total360 BRDTSS system with its BRDTSF cartridge, rated at 270 gallons, and the Multipure Aquaversa with its CB6 cartridge, rated at 750 gallons.

Pitcher cartridges are certified together with named pitcher bodies, which is why the Brita Elite listing spells out pitcher model numbers. Faucet and under-sink cartridges carry their claim in the housing they were listed with, and each row carries a temperature or daily-volume limit from the brand's own data sheet.

When a Cartridge Fits but Carries No Lead Claim

Two cartridges sold for the same PUR pitchers can carry different lead results on one page. On PUR's performance data sheet for its pitchers and dispensers, the PUR PLUS pitcher filter (PPF951K) lists lead, while the basic pitcher filter (PPF900Z) is marked "Not Certified" for lead. For an 11-cup pitcher that has been running PPF951K cartridges, a multi-pack labeled for PUR pitchers keeps the lead claim only if its model number is PPF951K, even though both cartridges drop into the same reservoir under the same brand name.

Brita shows the same split. The Brita Standard filter (OB03) is certified by WQA for chlorine, taste and odor, zinc, cadmium, copper and mercury, while lead sits on the Elite filter (OB06). Names can also change while the model number stays put: WQA's directory shows model OB06 under the names Longlast, Longlast+ and Elite.

Look-alike cartridges from other sellers are a separate case. NSF's lead-reduction directory states that filter cartridges are not universal: a non-certified cartridge may look similar and even appear to fit the housing, yet the smallest size difference could let water go around the cartridge instead of through it. The brands say the same about their own systems. PUR notes that compatible replacements are not guaranteed to offer the same water quality as genuine PUR faucet filters, and Aquasana tells AQ-MF-1 owners to use genuine, certified Aquasana replacements for continued contaminant removal.

Capacity and Replacement Intervals at Reorder Time

The replacement interval is printed in different ways across these cartridges, and the difference changes how a reorder is timed. PUR states a pair of limits for its PLUS cartridges, gallons or months, so the reorder date is whichever arrives first. Aquasana does the same for the AQ-MF-1-R, rating it on its product page at 784 gallons or up to 6 months. Brita rates the Elite filter by gallons, 120, and gives about 6 months as an estimate for most households.

Capacity is part of the certification itself: NSF notes that certification to NSF/ANSI 53 requires manufacturers to state the filter capacity, the volume of water that can pass through a filter before it must be changed. NSF's lead-reduction directory says listed products must be maintained through regular replacement of cartridges according to the manufacturer's instructions, which makes the reorder date part of keeping the configuration the listing describes. A household that drinks and cooks from a PUR faucet filter can reach 100 gallons before 3 months, while a lightly used PUR pitcher can reach 2 months with gallons to spare, so both numbers matter there.

Replacing Cartridges on the Viomi M1

On the Viomi M1, when the touchscreen faucet shows a filter running low and the Viomi app sends its notice, the reorder is the cartridge named for that position: the Viomi M1-PCB filter, which lasts up to 2 years, or the Viomi M1-RO1000 filter, which lasts up to 4 years. The swap is a twist and pull, without tools.

FAQ

Do third-party "compatible" cartridges carry the original lead certification?

A third-party cartridge carries only the claims its own certification record shows. The listings in this comparison name a specific replacement element for each system, such as OB06 for the listed Brita pitchers or AQ-MF-1-R for the Aquasana AQ-MF-1, and PUR and Aquasana both point owners to their genuine replacements.

Is a Longlast+ filter the same cartridge as the Brita Elite?

They share the model number OB06. WQA's product directory lists OB06 under the brand names Longlast, Longlast+ and Elite, and Brita notes that older pitcher models may say Longlast+ instead of Elite, with both programmed for 120 gallons. Reordering by the model number OB06 lands on the cartridge the listing names.

Does warm water affect a cartridge's lead claim?

Brands print a temperature limit for their cartridges: a maximum of 85°F for the Brita Elite pitcher filter, 82°F for PUR's PLUS filters, and cold water only for the Aquasana AQ-MF-1. NSF also notes that the products in its lead directory were tested at 68°F and not at elevated temperatures such as shower or bath water.

Can a listing name more than one replacement cartridge?

It can. In NSF's lead-reduction directory, several PUR faucet systems, such as the PFM100B and PFM222B, list two replacement elements, "PUR RF-3375 / PUR RF-9999," for the same system, which means either listed cartridge keeps that system inside its listing. The PFM200B entry used in the table names RF-9999.

Where does a listing show the replacement cartridge?

In NSF's lead-reduction directory, each entry has three columns: the brand name, trade name and model of the system, the replacement element, and the filter capacity in gallons. The replacement element column names the cartridge listed for that system, and IAPMO R&T listings carry the same information under the label replacement component.

Does the pitcher body matter if the cartridge is certified?

For pitcher filters, it does. Brita's data sheet certifies the Elite filter (OB06) for lead in a named list of Brita pitcher models, and NSF lists it with the Pacifica and Tidal pitchers specifically. The pitcher and cartridge together are the configuration the listing covers.

Keeping the Lead Claim Through Every Cartridge Change

Across the listed pairs, the lead claim travels with the cartridge model named for a system, on the interval its brand prints. A cartridge that only fits the housing does not bring that claim with it, while Brita's OB06 shows that a product name can change in the directory while the model number the listing names stays the same.