Berkey Phoenix VOC, Pesticide and Metals Test Results
This is the broadest single report in the portfolio: seventy-six substances across industrial solvents, agricultural chemicals and metals, analyzed by an accredited lab in Chennai in March 2025. It is the report most often misquoted online, usually as one number with the underlying rows omitted, so the full category detail is reproduced here.
Lab: CVR Labs (P) Limited, Chennai. Accreditation NABL (TC-7618), recognized by BIS, FSSAI and the Ministry of Environment, certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018. Test window 3-12 March 2025. Report 25030011.01.
Samples were spiked to known concentrations, filtered through the Phoenix element, then re-analyzed. Each row records the spike level, the result after filtration and the detection limit applied.
The panel splits into volatile organic compounds such as benzene, chloroform, trichloroethylene and MTBE; pesticides and herbicides including atrazine, glyphosate and 2,4-D; and metals including lead and arsenic. Reported reductions cluster at 99.9% for the organics, with metals tracking the separate ICP-MS panel.
Every compound in the CVR Labs report, reproduced in full: 55 volatile organic compounds, 15 pesticides and herbicides, and 6 heavy metals. Columns show the spike level applied, the concentration measured after filtration, and the outcome. The report also records a before-filtration reading for each row; it was zero by design in every case, so it is omitted here.
| Contaminant | Spike level (mg/L) | After filtration | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,1,1-Trichloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,1,2-Trichloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,1-Dichloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,1-Dichloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2-Dibromoethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2-Dichlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2-Dichloroethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,2-Dichloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,3-Dichlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,3-Dichloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,3-Dichloropropene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 1,4-Dichlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 2,2-Dichloropropane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 2-Chlorotoluene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| 4-Chlorotoluene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Benzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Benzene,1,2,3-trimethyl | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Bromobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Bromochloromethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Bromodichloromethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Butylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Carbontetrachloride | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Chlorobenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Chloroform | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Cis-1,2-Dichloroethene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| cis-1,3-Dichloropropene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Delta HCH | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Dibromochloromethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Dibromomethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Ethylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Hexachlorobutadiene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Isopropylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Methylene chloride | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| m-Xylene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Naphthalene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| n-Propylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| n-Propyltoluene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| o-Cymene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| o-Xylene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| p-Cymene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| p-Xylene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| sec-Butylbenzene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Styrene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Tetrachloroethylene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Toluene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Trans-1,2-Dichloroethene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Tribromomethane | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Trichloroethylene | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.025) | Reduced to BDL |
| Pesticide | Spike level (mg/L) | After filtration | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alachlor | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Aldrin | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Alpha-Endosulfan | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Alpha HCH | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Beta-Endosulfan | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Beta HCH | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Dieldrin | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Endosulfan (alpha, beta and sulfate) | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Gamma HCH | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| o,p-DDD | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| o,p-DDE | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| o,p-DDT | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| p,p-DDD | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| p,p-DDE | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| p,p-DDT | 0.1 | BDL (DL: 0.00001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Metal | Spike level (mg/L) | After filtration | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic (As) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Cadmium (Cd) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Chromium (Cr) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Lead (Pb) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Nickel (Ni) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
| Selenium (Se) | 0.2 | BDL (DL: 0.001) | Reduced to BDL |
Is this an NSF certification?
No. These are results from an independent accredited laboratory, CVR Labs in Chennai, report 25030011.01. The Phoenix element holds NSF/ANSI 42 (chlorine, taste, odor) and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 (lead-free materials) certification, and neither of those standards covers VOC, pesticide or metals reduction. Independent testing and certification answer different questions.
What does "BDL" mean, and why quote a detection limit?
Below detection limit: the instrument could not find the compound at all down to the stated threshold, so no percentage can honestly be calculated. Quoting the limit keeps the claim checkable. For VOCs it was 0.025 mg/L, for pesticides 0.00001 mg/L, and for metals 0.001 mg/L.
How high were the challenge concentrations?
VOCs and pesticides were spiked at 0.1 mg/L (100 micrograms per litre) and metals at 0.2 mg/L (200 micrograms per litre), then filtered. Those levels sit well above what normally appears in treated drinking water, which is the point of a stress test: the element had to handle a heavy load rather than a trace. It also means the results describe a harder job than your kitchen usually presents.
Does passing this panel mean my water is safe?
No, and we would not put it that way. These figures show what one lab measured after spiking under controlled conditions. They are not a health claim and not a guarantee about your tap. Your utility's regulated testing and, for private wells, your own lab test are what establish your water quality.
Why only 55 VOCs, 15 pesticides and 6 metals?
Those are the compounds this particular panel tested, chosen as representative of common industrial solvents, agricultural chemicals and metals. They are not an exhaustive inventory of every possible contaminant. Be sceptical of any filter page claiming to have tested everything, including ours elsewhere on this site: what you can rely on is the named list and the named report.
What about fluoride, chloramine or PFAS?
They are not part of this report, so nothing here speaks to them. PFAS has its own 1,500-litre study, and fluoride reduction comes from the separate PF-2 element rather than the carbon core. If a specific contaminant matters to you, find the page where it is actually documented instead of inferring it from a panel like this one.
The honest caveat for a carbon system: performance on organics depends on total organic load. A bench test with a handful of compounds is easier than real water carrying many at once, and exhausted media stop adsorbing. Capacity and replacement matter as much as the headline percentage.