Does Berkey Filter Microplastics? Berkey Hasn't Tested It (2026)

Does Berkey remove microplastics?

There is no evidence either way. On its own support pages, Berkey says that because “actual testing of plastic fibers has not yet been conducted”, it “can't officially make that claim.” We found no peer-reviewed study of Berkey and microplastics, and Berkey publishes no pore size for the Black Berkey elements, so there is no basis for estimating how small a particle they stop.

Berkey does publish its own test reports for other contaminants, including PFOA and heavy metals, and describes the elements as able to reduce contaminants in a tested range of 24–26 nanometres. Those reports are commissioned and published by the brand, and none of them is a microplastics test.

What the elements are

Berkey describes the Black Berkey elements as “a proprietary blend of media”. A dealer's description quoted in EPA's order calls them a carbon composite of coconut-shell carbon and five other media. They are not ceramic. A pair is rated for 6,000 gallons. Water runs through them by gravity, with no power or plumbing, which is why Berkey is popular for cabins, travel and emergency kits.

Certification

The Black Berkey elements are not certified by NSF, the WQA or IAPMO. Berkey's position is that NSF certification is optional and poorly suited to gravity-fed elements. Berkey now also sells Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition elements “in lieu of Black Berkey”, and NSF lists the Big, Royal and Travel Berkey fitted with them under NSF/ANSI 42, for chlorine, taste and odour. That is not a microplastics certification: only NSF/ANSI 401 has one.

The EPA orders

In December 2022, EPA Region 8 ordered James Enterprise, a dealer trading as “Berkey Filters”, to stop selling Black Berkey products. In May 2023 it issued the same order to Berkey International, the manufacturer. The reason was the marketing, not the filtration: the products were sold with claims to kill viruses and bacteria, which makes them pesticides that must be registered with EPA, and they were not. New Millennium Concepts, which sells Berkey, sued; the case was dismissed and the Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal in August 2024. The orders stay in force until EPA revokes them, and we found no record that it has. Berkey's site lists the Big Berkey as limited supply and does not sell to residents of California or Iowa.

Berkey vs the certified alternatives

The full comparison, with prices and cost per litre, is in best water filter for microplastics. More on the alternatives: AquaTru and Clearly Filtered. Whatever you filter with, pour into a glass or steel bottle so you are not adding plastic back afterwards.