The first thing to do is to pull the water report for your area. For the US, most can be found here. Tap water database.

Prepare yourself because most drinking water has some serious contaminants.

When I learned this, I was stunned. It had never crossed my mind that we would allow one of our most precious resources to be contaminated.

You will see a bunch of people chiming in about how the water is safe, but a few things to note.

There are contaminants in a lot of drinking water that they simply dont regulate. So there can be excessive levels of toxic things in your water but its still identified as safe.

Also what is considered safe levels of contaminants can vary wildly.

The EPA guidelines are factoring in the cost and feasibily of removing contaminants, not just the science.

As far as (carbon based) whole house systems, they can remove chlorine and handle lower levels of PFAS, but beyond that you need to focus on point of use filters. These are typically located under sinks and or refrigerators where you use water for drinking and cooking.

Lastly you have to be very careful when selecting filters. Many vendors will not list NSF certifications. Its also highly advised to request a performance data sheet from the vendors you are considering.

Best of luck.