Consumer watchdog warns of false promises in water filter ads
The Consumentenbond says online sellers use ads viewed more than 5 million times to stoke fears about Dutch tap water, and that consumer filters add nothing here.
Webshops are stoking fear about tap water quality with ads on Facebook, Instagram and Google that have been viewed more than 5 million times, the Consumentenbond says. The ads carry lines such as "Kraanwater, maar dan zonder pfas" (tap water, but without pfas) and promise to filter out mercury, lead and chlorine.
The consumer organisation calls the promise meaningless. Chlorine is not even used in the Netherlands, it says, and heavy metals such as mercury and lead hardly occur in Dutch drinking water. Water treatment companies already do what the sellers say the filters do, so consumer filters add nothing.
ThatsTheSpirit is the biggest water filter advertiser, with 51 different ads
Ads
ThatsTheSpirit is the biggest water filter advertiser, with 51 different ads (ads). Highest: ThatsTheSpirit, 51; lowest: AzurAqua, 20; 4 items. Source: Consumentenbond.
View data
| Item | Ads |
|---|---|
| ThatsTheSpirit | 51 |
| Fluofree | 30 |
| AzurAqua | 20 |
| iFilter | 20 |
The Consumentenbond also warns that some sellers use labels such as "Beste Koop" (best buy) and "Beste Waterfilterkan van 2026" (best water filter jug of 2026). It says the organisation has not tested any water filters, so the sellers may not use these labels.
Director Sandra Molenaar says she understands the concern about pfas, but that companies sometimes play on consumers' feelings in a harmful way.
Experts the Consumentenbond spoke to say the advertised filter jugs can even pose a risk. After a while they can release pfas they absorbed earlier, and they can become a breeding ground for bacteria if not replaced in time. "If you are not careful, you do more harm than good with them," Molenaar said.
A spokesperson stressed that the warning concerns the Netherlands. "Here it is a superfluous product," the spokesperson said, which need not apply to other countries.
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Consumentenbond
The Dutch consumers' association. It tests products and services, publishes the results and advises consumers; it is funded mainly by its members.
PFAS (per- en polyfluoralkylstoffen)
PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a large group of human-made chemicals used since the 1950s in products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging and firefighting foam. They break down very slowly, so they accumulate in soil, water and the human body, and some are linked to health risks. In the Netherlands, PFAS in drinking water and the environment is a recognised health concern, and the government and the national institute for public health (RIVM) monitor them and advise on limits.