10. Carbon Filtration: Does It Really Do the Job?

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

1. Not a Silver Bullet: Carbon filters excel at removing chlorine and some chemicals but won’t handle all toxins—especially biological ones.
2. Different Forms, Different Results: Block vs. granular carbon yields varying degrees of filtration and water flow.
3. Frequent Replacement: Once carbon is “full,” it can release contaminants back into your water.
4. 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

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Transcript

Glenn: 0:01

Welcome to the Toxic Truth About Water. We're Drs. Glenn and Ina, and in this podcast, we're uncovering the hidden dangers lurking in your water and how those contaminants impact your health. After decades of exploring natural health, we've learned the importance of clean, safe water, and we're here to share that knowledge with you.

Ina: 0:20

From the effects of toxins and contaminants to the solutions that you need, we've got the inside scoop.

Glenn: 0:27

Let's dive in.

Ina: 0:28

We're diving in again, guys.

Glenn: 0:29

I know this one is you've been waiting on the edge of your seats to learn about carbon filtration.

Ina: 0:35

So let's just clear the air. We've been talking, we shared with you about the different concerns, right? The contaminants that are in our water, the things that we really need to be concerned about to take responsibility for. And then we went into options. Okay, now that we know all of these concerns, Poisons are in our water. What are we going to do? So we've been slowly going through and sharing different things that are out there. The good, the bad, the ugly on the various different types of technologies that are available to filter the water. But here's the thing. A lot of you have been reaching out. A lot of you that listen to our podcast, you may know us from the past. So we have had a lot of people reaching out to us and saying okay what do you recommend? And we are going to, After the series. So we have a couple more episodes that we want to share with you and we will have a couple of bonus episodes. And one of them will be all geared towards what we recommend after a lot of years of looking at different systems and something that we feel very confident with. We don't want it to be part of the series. We want it to just be as a bonus episode because a lot of you are still like you don't know what to do. And so we're hoping that we're enlightening you and sharing enough information that you can at least navigate. But we're here to help you guys.

Glenn: 2:06

So today let's talk about probably the most common type of filter that you see in almost every type of system. It's some kind of carbon filtration.

Ina: 2:15

And just, last episode we did talk about, maybe it was a couple before, but in one of the previous episodes we did talk about refrigerator and faucet filters, which do use activated carbon. Carbon filtration, right? And we talked about it being pretty much for making the water taste better, smell better, right? It's taken out the chlorine and some of the contaminants, but not nearly as much as we hoped for.

Glenn: 2:42

Yeah, it's excellent. Just as you said, it's excellent for taste and smell. That's the most popular usage for carbon filters, but they have their downsides as well.

Ina: 2:52

Absolutely. So let's talk

Glenn: 2:53

There are types of carbon filters that people need to know and here's the spoiler. The spoiler is the different types have to do with how fine the carbon is.

Ina: 3:03

So there's different types of carbon media. And like Glenn said, it will vary and what it's capable of filtering. So that's important because carbon is not created equal, right? But carbon filters work through a process called Absorption, right? Not absorption. Like absorption is like if you take a sponge and you fill it with water, it's absorbing the water, right? That's absorption. Absorption is where contaminants are attracted to the surface of the carbon, so they're actually sticking to it.

Glenn: 3:37

I think of it like, you know those lint rollers that people buy where you rip off each sheet, as you roll over the lint, it sticks to that paper until it stops working, and then you just rip it off and you got a fresh sheet. That's adsorption.

Ina: 3:51

Exactly. And so imagine a carbon filter of one sort or another, it's only going to be able to filter to 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 start a new one because it's filled up, right? Everything's stuck to it. Generally speaking, when we talk about carbon filters, people, like we said, have, carbon filters in their, refrigerator filter, their faucet filter, but also you can have carbon filtration for your whole house.

Glenn: 4:27

Yeah, absolutely. one of the most common types that we see is called granular activated. Carbon. GAC, you'll see it. You'll notice different systems will say, we offer GAC carbon. And basically, it's a loose granular carbon that has high flow rate. It allows a lot of water to get through. But again, that has a negative too. It only has so much capture. Because it's allowing the water to go through it very quickly, it has less surface area, treating that water.

Ina: 4:57

And to keep in mind for all of you that are, trying to grasp, some of this, typically when it's low flow, it's going to have a higher capture rate. Usually you can have a lot of filtration with high flow. It's usually one. or the other. Okay. So that is for the most part typical.

Glenn: 5:22

Right.

Ina: 5:23

Okay.

Glenn: 5:23

So that's the activated carbon. There are also something called carbon blocks a better technology. That's where the granular, carbon is actually held together with a substance that doesn't really take away. From the action of the carbon very little and what it does is it allows the water to have much more surface connection to that Material therefore it's going to do a better job At taking the contaminants that carbon can remove from the water out of the water It literally gives it seven to ten times more surface area than what we see with just regular granular activated carbon. But again, it really depends on the usage, where it is and what stage is it. Are we talking about a whole house filtration or just, a single faucet filtration? Those things have a lot to do with the type of carbon that will be used in that system.

Ina: 6:14

Yeah, and so there's other source materials like I had mentioned coconut shells powdered activated carbon is another type of carbon Catalytic carbon, which is a specialized form of activated carbon with added catalysts that enhance the removal of specific contaminants through chemical reactions. Generally speaking the carbon filtration, in general, will remove chlorine, like we talked about 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 on the type of carbon filtration. There's a bit of contaminants that can be filtered

Glenn: 7:01

that are typically not seen with every type of carbon.

Ina: 7:04

will vary, but what it won't handle is any of the biologicals, right? So when there is bacteria, when there's viruses, cysts, parasites, remember we had an episode where we really talked about the biological contaminants. If you have a carbon filtration system only, you're still going to have to boil your water. So just keep that in mind. There's also the potential for biofouling, where with a carbon filtration tank, particularly, a whole house tank, or even as we talked about with refrigerator filters, there is the potential for mold and other microorganisms to grow.

Glenn: 7:45

think of a sponge that's filled and just sitting there.

Ina: 7:48

Correct.

Glenn: 7:48

Eventually it's going to smell, it's going to get gross. Whatever type of filter you have, it needs to be changed at the right time.

Ina: 7:55

Yeah. And let's talk about that for a moment, right? Because with a lot of types of filtration, there's various types of maintenance. And when we talk about carbon filters, yeah, there's definitely, right? They're only going to absorb a certain amount of contaminants, and once it's filled, for the most part, that's when it's time to change that. And in certain types of filtration systems the tank has to be re bed. If it's starting over. You almost need like a new system. So there's, the upside, the downside. And everything in between, right?

Glenn: 8:29

There really is. And there are alternatives, but even the alternatives use some carbon. So like ceramic is sometimes used. most of these are in single drinking water applications as opposed to whole house. It's pretty hard to have a ceramic filter. You might hear that out there. And they can be good, ceramic has the ability, it's very porous and The pores are small. However, almost always they have some type of carbon in with that, because again, it still ends up at the end of the day, whether it's a sponge or a lint roller, whether it's, absorption or adsorption, it gets filled up. And at that point, absolutely has to be replaced and changed. It's also important to know that while reverse osmosis is a whole system in itself

Ina: 9:16

in fact, I think in our next episode we're gonna be taking a deep dive into reverse osmosis

Glenn: 9:22

those systems also as part of it include, a carbon filtration part of that.

Ina: 9:28

because of their

Glenn: 9:29

size.

Ina: 9:29

All right. So let's wrap this up. these topics are a little dry but important to know, what are the options out there to have your water clean, healthy, safe for you, for your family, for the people that you love and care about.

Glenn: 9:43

So thank you everybody for tuning in to this episode of the Toxic Truth About Water. We really hope you're walking away with some valuable insights and learning how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the hidden water toxins that exist. If you found value in today's episode, be sure to please subscribe so you don't miss Any upcoming episodes and as always, feel free to share this podcast with your friends and family, anyone who could benefit from the information that we've shared.

Ina: 10:11

remember we are all in this together. So keep questioning, keep learning, stay healthy and stay informed. Much love to you guys. See you next time.

Glenn: 10:21

Ciao.