PFAS in Sports Drinks: Which Electrolyte Brands Are Safe?

After a long run or a hot practice, the last thing you want to think about is whether your recovery drink is contaminated. But when the Environmental Health Network and Mamavation tested 40 electrolyte products from 30 different brands, nine of them came back with detectable levels of organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS contamination.

I dug into the results, and we ended up making a few changes at home.

What did the testing find?

In 2024, Mamavation partnered with the Environmental Health News network to send 40 popular electrolyte and sports drink products to an EPA-certified lab. The lab screened for total organic fluorine, which is a reliable indicator that PFAS compounds are present.

Nine products, roughly 23% of those tested, had detectable fluorine levels ranging from 10 to 105 parts per million. That is a wide range, and the highest readings were significant.

The products that tested positive included offerings from Nuun, FlavCity, PaleoValley, and Total Hydration Keto. Some of these brands market themselves as clean or health-focused, which makes the results harder to predict from the label alone.

Where does the PFAS come from?

For sports drinks specifically, there are a few possible routes:

The water. Just like with soda and sparkling water, the base water used in manufacturing is often the biggest variable. If the bottling facility draws from a PFAS-contaminated municipal supply, those chemicals end up in the finished product.

Packaging. Some single-serve packets and stick packs use moisture barriers that may contain fluorinated coatings. This is harder to verify from the outside, but it is a known pathway in food packaging generally. Our guide to PFAS in food packaging covers the science in more detail.

Ingredient sourcing. Flavoring compounds, sweeteners, and other additives pass through processing equipment and supply chains where cross-contamination can happen. This is less studied than water contamination, but researchers have flagged it as a plausible contributor.

Sports drink brands that tested clean

Most products actually came back clean. Brands with no detectable fluorine include:

• Skratch Labs (multiple flavors)
• Ultima Replenisher
• LMNT (multiple flavors)
• Liquid IV (multiple flavors)
• Drip Drop
• Gatorade (tested varieties)
• Pedialyte

If your go-to brand is on this list, you are fine.

Filter your water before mixing

If you mix powdered electrolytes at home, the water you start with matters just as much as the powder itself. Tap water in many U.S. communities carries measurable PFAS, so mixing a clean powder into unfiltered tap water can still give you a contaminated drink.

A reverse osmosis system handles this well. The APEC ROES-50 Reverse Osmosis System removes over 99% of contaminants including PFAS and installs under the kitchen sink. We use one at home for all our drinking and cooking water.

For more filter options at different price points, see our full water filter comparison.

Practical steps for cleaner hydration

• Check the brand. Cross-reference your electrolyte brand against the Mamavation testing results. If it tested positive, switch to one of the clean brands above.
• Filter first. Whether you mix a powder or just drink water after a workout, start with filtered water. Our drinking water testing guide can help you figure out what is in your tap.
• Skip coated containers. Some paper cups and coated cardboard can leach PFAS into your drink. Use a stainless steel or glass bottle instead. We have picks in our PFAS-free water bottles guide.
• Ignore marketing language. “Clean” and “natural” on electrolyte packaging do not mean PFAS-free. Independent lab testing is the only way to know.
• Make your own. Filtered water, a pinch of salt, a squeeze of citrus, and a touch of honey. That is a perfectly good electrolyte drink, and you know exactly what is in it.

You can search the PFAS Free Life Database for more verified products across every category.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do sports drinks contain PFAS?

Some do. When Mamavation and the Environmental Health Network tested 40 electrolyte products from 30 brands, about 23% came back with detectable levels of organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS. The levels ranged from 10 to 105 parts per million. Products from Nuun, FlavCity, PaleoValley, and Total Hydration Keto were among those that tested positive.

Which electrolyte brands are PFAS-free?

Brands that tested with no detectable fluorine include Skratch Labs, Ultima Replenisher, LMNT, Liquid IV, Drip Drop, Gatorade, and Pedialyte. Testing results can change over time as companies adjust their formulations and suppliers, so it is worth checking for updated results periodically.

How can I make my sports drinks safer?

The most effective step is to mix powdered electrolytes with filtered water at home. Use a filter certified for PFAS reduction, such as a reverse osmosis system or a pitcher with activated carbon rated for PFAS. Choose an electrolyte brand that has been independently tested and found to be free of fluorine indicators. Store and carry your drink in stainless steel or glass, not coated paper or plastic.

*Research references: Mamavation Electrolyte PFAS Testing

Environmental Health News*