March 10, 2025 • 10 mins
What’s really going on inside those carbon filters we see in fridges, faucets, and whole-house systems? In this episode of The Toxic Truth About Water, Drs. Glenn and Ina break down how carbon filtration actually works (adsorption vs. absorption) and the different types of carbon—granular, block, catalytic—that can make a difference in your water quality. Learn which contaminants it’s good at removing, what it can’t handle, and why maintenance matters more than you think.
What You’ll Learn
- Carbon Filter Basics: The science behind adsorption and why carbon has limits.
- Types of Carbon Media: Granular, block, catalytic, and coconut-based—plus why they’re not all created equal.
- Pros & Cons: How carbon filtration improves taste and odor but may fail against bacteria, mold, or biofouling.
- Why Maintenance Is Key: Changing your carbon filter on time is critical to avoid contaminant “overflow.”
Key Takeaways
- Not a Silver Bullet: Carbon filters excel at removing chlorine and some chemicals but won’t handle all toxins—especially biological ones.
- Different Forms, Different Results: Block vs. granular carbon yields varying degrees of filtration and water flow.
- Frequent Replacement: Once carbon is “full,” it can release contaminants back into your water.
- Layered Approach: Carbon is often just one step—like in reverse osmosis systems—to tackle a broader range of contaminants.
Resources & Links
- Check Your Water Quality: Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Connect with Drs. Glenn & Ina:
- Call Us Today: (732) 300-1925
- Instagram: @drsglennandina
Subscribe & Review
Love this deep dive into carbon filtration? Subscribe to The Toxic Truth About Water on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform. Don’t forget to leave a quick review—your feedback helps us empower more listeners with the facts about safe, healthy water!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Glenn (00:01):
Welcome to the Toxic Truth About Water.
We're Drs.
Glenn and Ina, and in thispodcast, we're uncovering the
hidden dangers lurking in yourwater and how those contaminants
impact your health.
After decades of exploringnatural health, we've learned
the importance of clean, safewater, and we're here to share
that knowledge with you.
Ina (00:20):
From the effects of toxins and contaminants to the
solutions that you need, we'vegot the inside scoop.
Glenn (00:27):
Let's dive in.
Ina (00:28):
We're diving in again, guys.
Glenn (00:29):
I know this one is you've been waiting on the edge of your
seats to learn about carbonfiltration.
Ina (00:35):
So let's just clear the air.
We've been talking, we sharedwith you about the different
concerns, right?
The contaminants that are in ourwater, the things that we really
need to be concerned about totake responsibility for.
And then we went into options.
Okay, now that we know all ofthese concerns, Poisons are in
(00:55):
our water.
What are we going to do?
So we've been slowly goingthrough and sharing different
things that are out there.
The good, the bad, the ugly onthe various different types of
technologies that are availableto filter the water.
But here's the thing.
A lot of you have been reachingout.
A lot of you that listen to ourpodcast, you may know us from
(01:17):
the past.
So we have had a lot of peoplereaching out to us and saying
okay what do you recommend?
And we are going to, After theseries.
So we have a couple moreepisodes that we want to share
with you and we will have acouple of bonus episodes.
(01:37):
And one of them will be allgeared towards what we recommend
after a lot of years of lookingat different systems and
something that we feel veryconfident with.
We don't want it to be part ofthe series.
We want it to just be as a bonusepisode because a lot of you are
still like you don't know whatto do.
(01:58):
And so we're hoping that we'reenlightening you and sharing
enough information that you canat least navigate.
But we're here to help you guys.
Glenn (02:06):
So today let's talk about probably the most common type of
filter that you see in almostevery type of system.
It's some kind of carbonfiltration.
Ina (02:15):
And just, last episode we did talk about, maybe it was a
couple before, but in one of theprevious episodes we did talk
about refrigerator and faucetfilters, which do use activated
carbon.
Carbon filtration, right?
And we talked about it beingpretty much for making the water
taste better, smell better,right?
(02:36):
It's taken out the chlorine andsome of the contaminants, but
not nearly as much as we hopedfor.
Glenn (02:42):
Yeah, it's excellent.
Just as you said, it's excellentfor taste and smell.
That's the most popular usagefor carbon filters, but they
have their downsides as well.
Ina (02:52):
Absolutely.
So let's talk
Glenn (02:53):
There are types of carbon filters that people need to know
and here's the spoiler.
The spoiler is the differenttypes have to do with how fine
the carbon is.
Ina (03:03):
So there's different types of carbon media.
And like Glenn said, it willvary and what it's capable of
filtering.
So that's important becausecarbon is not created equal,
right?
But carbon filters work througha process called Absorption,
right?
Not absorption.
Like absorption is like if youtake a sponge and you fill it
(03:25):
with water, it's absorbing thewater, right?
That's absorption.
Absorption is where contaminantsare attracted to the surface of
the carbon, so they're actuallysticking to it.
Glenn (03:37):
I think of it like, you know those lint rollers that
people buy where you rip offeach sheet, as you roll over the
lint, it sticks to that paperuntil it stops working, and then
you just rip it off and you gota fresh sheet.
That's adsorption.
Ina (03:51):
Exactly.
And so imagine a carbon filterof one sort or another, it's
only going to be able to filterto the capacity of it being
filled, right?
So with the lint brush analogy,you roll the lint brush after a
while, it's not working anymore.
You got to rip it off and starta new one because it's filled
(04:12):
up, right?
Everything's stuck to it.
Generally speaking, when we talkabout carbon filters, people,
like we said, have, carbonfilters in their, refrigerator
filter, their faucet filter, butalso you can have carbon
filtration for your whole house.
Glenn (04:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
one of the most common typesthat we see is called granular
activated.
Carbon.
GAC, you'll see it.
You'll notice different systemswill say, we offer GAC carbon.
And basically, it's a loosegranular carbon that has high
flow rate.
It allows a lot of water to getthrough.
But again, that has a negativetoo.
(04:47):
It only has so much capture.
Because it's allowing the waterto go through it very quickly,
it has less surface area,treating that water.
Ina (04:57):
And to keep in mind for all of you that are, trying to
grasp, some of this, typicallywhen it's low flow, it's going
to have a higher capture rate.
Usually you can have a lot offiltration with high flow.
It's usually one.
(05:18):
or the other.
Okay.
So that is for the most parttypical.
Glenn (05:22):
Right.
Ina (05:23):
Okay.
Glenn (05:23):
So that's the activated carbon.
There are also something calledcarbon blocks a better
technology.
That's where the granular,carbon is actually held together
with a substance that doesn'treally take away.
From the action of the carbonvery little and what it does is
it allows the water to have muchmore surface connection to that
Material therefore it's going todo a better job At taking the
(05:47):
contaminants that carbon canremove from the water out of the
water It literally gives itseven to ten times more surface
area than what we see with justregular granular activated
carbon.
But again, it really depends onthe usage, where it is and what
stage is it.
Are we talking about a wholehouse filtration or just, a
(06:07):
single faucet filtration?
Those things have a lot to dowith the type of carbon that
will be used in that system.
Ina (06:14):
Yeah, and so there's other source materials like I had
mentioned coconut shellspowdered activated carbon is
another type of carbon Catalyticcarbon, which is a specialized
form of activated carbon withadded catalysts that enhance the
removal of specific contaminantsthrough chemical reactions.
(06:36):
Generally speaking the carbonfiltration, in general, will
remove chlorine, like we talkedabout taste and odor, it will
improve that.
what it also will remove.
It can for some degree,pesticides, herbicides, volatile
organic compounds.
So there's a bit depending onthe type of carbon filtration.
(06:57):
There's a bit of contaminantsthat can be filtered
Glenn (07:01):
that are typically not seen with every type of carbon.
Ina (07:04):
will vary, but what it won't handle is any of the
biologicals, right?
So when there is bacteria, whenthere's viruses, cysts,
parasites, remember we had anepisode where we really talked
about the biologicalcontaminants.
If you have a carbon filtrationsystem only, you're still going
(07:24):
to have to boil your water.
So just keep that in mind.
There's also the potential forbiofouling, where with a carbon
filtration tank, particularly, awhole house tank, or even as we
talked about with refrigeratorfilters, there is the potential
for mold and othermicroorganisms to grow.
Glenn (07:45):
think of a sponge that's filled and just sitting there.
Ina (07:48):
Correct.
Glenn (07:48):
Eventually it's going to smell, it's going to get gross.
Whatever type of filter youhave, it needs to be changed at
the right time.
Ina (07:55):
Yeah.
And let's talk about that for amoment, right?
Because with a lot of types offiltration, there's various
types of maintenance.
And when we talk about carbonfilters, yeah, there's
definitely, right?
They're only going to absorb acertain amount of contaminants,
and once it's filled, for themost part, that's when it's time
(08:16):
to change that.
And in certain types offiltration systems the tank has
to be re bed.
If it's starting over.
You almost need like a newsystem.
So there's, the upside, thedownside.
And everything in between,right?
Glenn (08:29):
There really is.
And there are alternatives, buteven the alternatives use some
carbon.
So like ceramic is sometimesused.
most of these are in singledrinking water applications as
opposed to whole house.
It's pretty hard to have aceramic filter.
You might hear that out there.
And they can be good, ceramichas the ability, it's very
(08:50):
porous and The pores are small.
However, almost always they havesome type of carbon in with
that, because again, it stillends up at the end of the day,
whether it's a sponge or a lintroller, whether it's, absorption
or adsorption, it gets filledup.
And at that point, absolutelyhas to be replaced and changed.
(09:11):
It's also important to know thatwhile reverse osmosis is a whole
system in itself
Ina (09:16):
in fact, I think in our next episode we're gonna be
taking a deep dive into reverseosmosis
Glenn (09:22):
those systems also as part of it include, a carbon
filtration part of that.
Ina (09:28):
because of their
Glenn (09:29):
size.
Ina (09:29):
All right.
So let's wrap this up.
these topics are a little drybut important to know, what are
the options out there to haveyour water clean, healthy, safe
for you, for your family, forthe people that you love and
care about.
Glenn (09:43):
So thank you everybody for tuning in to this episode of
the Toxic Truth About Water.
We really hope you're walkingaway with some valuable insights
and learning how to protectyourself and your loved ones
from the hidden water toxinsthat exist.
If you found value in today'sepisode, be sure to please
subscribe so you don't miss Anyupcoming episodes and as always,
(10:05):
feel free to share this podcastwith your friends and family,
anyone who could benefit fromthe information that we've
shared.
Ina (10:11):
remember we are all in this together.
So keep questioning, keeplearning, stay healthy and stay
informed.
Much love to you guys.
See you next time.
Glenn (10:21):
Ciao.
Welcome to the Toxic Truth About Water.
We're Drs.
Glenn and Ina, and in thispodcast, we're uncovering the
hidden dangers lurking in yourwater and how those contaminants
impact your health.
After decades of exploringnatural health, we've learned
the importance of clean, safewater, and we're here to share
that knowledge with you.
Ina (00:20):
From the effects of toxins and contaminants to the
solutions that you need, we'vegot the inside scoop.
Glenn (00:27):
Let's dive in.
Ina (00:28):
We're diving in again, guys.
Glenn (00:29):
I know this one is you've been waiting on the edge of your
seats to learn about carbonfiltration.
Ina (00:35):
So let's just clear the air.
We've been talking, we sharedwith you about the different
concerns, right?
The contaminants that are in ourwater, the things that we really
need to be concerned about totake responsibility for.
And then we went into options.
Okay, now that we know all ofthese concerns, Poisons are in
(00:55):
our water.
What are we going to do?
So we've been slowly goingthrough and sharing different
things that are out there.
The good, the bad, the ugly onthe various different types of
technologies that are availableto filter the water.
But here's the thing.
A lot of you have been reachingout.
A lot of you that listen to ourpodcast, you may know us from
(01:17):
the past.
So we have had a lot of peoplereaching out to us and saying
okay what do you recommend?
And we are going to, After theseries.
So we have a couple moreepisodes that we want to share
with you and we will have acouple of bonus episodes.
(01:37):
And one of them will be allgeared towards what we recommend
after a lot of years of lookingat different systems and
something that we feel veryconfident with.
We don't want it to be part ofthe series.
We want it to just be as a bonusepisode because a lot of you are
still like you don't know whatto do.
(01:58):
And so we're hoping that we'reenlightening you and sharing
enough information that you canat least navigate.
But we're here to help you guys.
Glenn (02:06):
So today let's talk about probably the most common type of
filter that you see in almostevery type of system.
It's some kind of carbonfiltration.
Ina (02:15):
And just, last episode we did talk about, maybe it was a
couple before, but in one of theprevious episodes we did talk
about refrigerator and faucetfilters, which do use activated
carbon.
Carbon filtration, right?
And we talked about it beingpretty much for making the water
taste better, smell better,right?
(02:36):
It's taken out the chlorine andsome of the contaminants, but
not nearly as much as we hopedfor.
Glenn (02:42):
Yeah, it's excellent.
Just as you said, it's excellentfor taste and smell.
That's the most popular usagefor carbon filters, but they
have their downsides as well.
Ina (02:52):
Absolutely.
So let's talk
Glenn (02:53):
There are types of carbon filters that people need to know
and here's the spoiler.
The spoiler is the differenttypes have to do with how fine
the carbon is.
Ina (03:03):
So there's different types of carbon media.
And like Glenn said, it willvary and what it's capable of
filtering.
So that's important becausecarbon is not created equal,
right?
But carbon filters work througha process called Absorption,
right?
Not absorption.
Like absorption is like if youtake a sponge and you fill it
(03:25):
with water, it's absorbing thewater, right?
That's absorption.
Absorption is where contaminantsare attracted to the surface of
the carbon, so they're actuallysticking to it.
Glenn (03:37):
I think of it like, you know those lint rollers that
people buy where you rip offeach sheet, as you roll over the
lint, it sticks to that paperuntil it stops working, and then
you just rip it off and you gota fresh sheet.
That's adsorption.
Ina (03:51):
Exactly.
And so imagine a carbon filterof one sort or another, it's
only going to be able to filterto the capacity of it being
filled, right?
So with the lint brush analogy,you roll the lint brush after a
while, it's not working anymore.
You got to rip it off and starta new one because it's filled
(04:12):
up, right?
Everything's stuck to it.
Generally speaking, when we talkabout carbon filters, people,
like we said, have, carbonfilters in their, refrigerator
filter, their faucet filter, butalso you can have carbon
filtration for your whole house.
Glenn (04:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
one of the most common typesthat we see is called granular
activated.
Carbon.
GAC, you'll see it.
You'll notice different systemswill say, we offer GAC carbon.
And basically, it's a loosegranular carbon that has high
flow rate.
It allows a lot of water to getthrough.
But again, that has a negativetoo.
(04:47):
It only has so much capture.
Because it's allowing the waterto go through it very quickly,
it has less surface area,treating that water.
Ina (04:57):
And to keep in mind for all of you that are, trying to
grasp, some of this, typicallywhen it's low flow, it's going
to have a higher capture rate.
Usually you can have a lot offiltration with high flow.
It's usually one.
(05:18):
or the other.
Okay.
So that is for the most parttypical.
Glenn (05:22):
Right.
Ina (05:23):
Okay.
Glenn (05:23):
So that's the activated carbon.
There are also something calledcarbon blocks a better
technology.
That's where the granular,carbon is actually held together
with a substance that doesn'treally take away.
From the action of the carbonvery little and what it does is
it allows the water to have muchmore surface connection to that
Material therefore it's going todo a better job At taking the
(05:47):
contaminants that carbon canremove from the water out of the
water It literally gives itseven to ten times more surface
area than what we see with justregular granular activated
carbon.
But again, it really depends onthe usage, where it is and what
stage is it.
Are we talking about a wholehouse filtration or just, a
(06:07):
single faucet filtration?
Those things have a lot to dowith the type of carbon that
will be used in that system.
Ina (06:14):
Yeah, and so there's other source materials like I had
mentioned coconut shellspowdered activated carbon is
another type of carbon Catalyticcarbon, which is a specialized
form of activated carbon withadded catalysts that enhance the
removal of specific contaminantsthrough chemical reactions.
(06:36):
Generally speaking the carbonfiltration, in general, will
remove chlorine, like we talkedabout taste and odor, it will
improve that.
what it also will remove.
It can for some degree,pesticides, herbicides, volatile
organic compounds.
So there's a bit depending onthe type of carbon filtration.
(06:57):
There's a bit of contaminantsthat can be filtered
Glenn (07:01):
that are typically not seen with every type of carbon.
Ina (07:04):
will vary, but what it won't handle is any of the
biologicals, right?
So when there is bacteria, whenthere's viruses, cysts,
parasites, remember we had anepisode where we really talked
about the biologicalcontaminants.
If you have a carbon filtrationsystem only, you're still going
(07:24):
to have to boil your water.
So just keep that in mind.
There's also the potential forbiofouling, where with a carbon
filtration tank, particularly, awhole house tank, or even as we
talked about with refrigeratorfilters, there is the potential
for mold and othermicroorganisms to grow.
Glenn (07:45):
think of a sponge that's filled and just sitting there.
Ina (07:48):
Correct.
Glenn (07:48):
Eventually it's going to smell, it's going to get gross.
Whatever type of filter youhave, it needs to be changed at
the right time.
Ina (07:55):
Yeah.
And let's talk about that for amoment, right?
Because with a lot of types offiltration, there's various
types of maintenance.
And when we talk about carbonfilters, yeah, there's
definitely, right?
They're only going to absorb acertain amount of contaminants,
and once it's filled, for themost part, that's when it's time
(08:16):
to change that.
And in certain types offiltration systems the tank has
to be re bed.
If it's starting over.
You almost need like a newsystem.
So there's, the upside, thedownside.
And everything in between,right?
Glenn (08:29):
There really is.
And there are alternatives, buteven the alternatives use some
carbon.
So like ceramic is sometimesused.
most of these are in singledrinking water applications as
opposed to whole house.
It's pretty hard to have aceramic filter.
You might hear that out there.
And they can be good, ceramichas the ability, it's very
(08:50):
porous and The pores are small.
However, almost always they havesome type of carbon in with
that, because again, it stillends up at the end of the day,
whether it's a sponge or a lintroller, whether it's, absorption
or adsorption, it gets filledup.
And at that point, absolutelyhas to be replaced and changed.
(09:11):
It's also important to know thatwhile reverse osmosis is a whole
system in itself
Ina (09:16):
in fact, I think in our next episode we're gonna be
taking a deep dive into reverseosmosis
Glenn (09:22):
those systems also as part of it include, a carbon
filtration part of that.
Ina (09:28):
because of their
Glenn (09:29):
size.
Ina (09:29):
All right.
So let's wrap this up.
these topics are a little drybut important to know, what are
the options out there to haveyour water clean, healthy, safe
for you, for your family, forthe people that you love and
care about.
Glenn (09:43):
So thank you everybody for tuning in to this episode of
the Toxic Truth About Water.
We really hope you're walkingaway with some valuable insights
and learning how to protectyourself and your loved ones
from the hidden water toxinsthat exist.
If you found value in today'sepisode, be sure to please
subscribe so you don't miss Anyupcoming episodes and as always,
(10:05):
feel free to share this podcastwith your friends and family,
anyone who could benefit fromthe information that we've
shared.
Ina (10:11):
remember we are all in this together.
So keep questioning, keeplearning, stay healthy and stay
informed.
Much love to you guys.
See you next time.
Glenn (10:21):
Ciao.
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