Are forever chemicals in my tap water? For many in South Florida, the answer is yes

Public officials have worked to stop industrial pollution from reaching South Florida’s water supply since before the 1970s.

The latest focus by public officials is limiting contamination from a group of chemical contaminants known as PFAS (Per-and Poly-fluoroalkyl substances), commonly known as “forever chemicals.”

These chemicals were introduced by major companies as early as the 1950s to make things like non-stick pans coated in Teflon and stain-resistant carpet.

Today, they are found in non-stick cookware, water repellent fabrics, fast food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, stain-resistant fabric coatings, cleaning products, cosmetics, and paints. 

Various industries throughout the economy use them, including the aerospace and automotive sectors. 

PFAS are also found in the bloodstreams of most people in the U.S., according to the EPA.

The chemicals are designed to break down slowly and are strong enough to withstand heat and repel water and oil.

When PFAS seep into the water and air they can end up in your food and drinking water.

The levels of PFAS in your blood can build up over time.

“And when we consume them, many of these pollutants never come out of the body,” said University of Miami Professor Naresh Kumar, PhD. 

Research links exposure to certain levels of PFAS to liver damage, increased risk of certain cancers, and developmental effects in kids.

But there still isn’t clear cut oversight on how to manage PFAS in our water supply.

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency set a new requirement for public water systems to test for and limit PFAS in our drinking water within five years.

The new levels of PFOA and PFOS — two types of PFAS commonly used in nonstick or stain-resistant products such as food packaging and firefighting foam — can’t exceed 4 parts per trillion in public drinking water. 

Three additional PFAS chemicals will be restricted to 10 parts per trillion. They are PFNA and PFHxS — older versions of PFAS — and GenX chemicals, a newer generation of chemicals created as a replacement for PFOA.

Scott Bartell is a professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of California, Irvine.

“Often legacy PFAS chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS, which have, by the way, been detected in parts of Miami and other parts of Florida in the water that we have the most evidence of that has been studied the longest,” Bartell said. “They were sort of two of the PFAS that were most highly produced historically before they were phased out of production in the 2000s. But they're still present in water supplies around the country, including Miami.”

Of the water systems in Florida that have tested for PFAS since 2022, 37% show PFAS levels above the current allowable limits.

And in South Florida, areas such as the City of Pembroke Pines, North Miami, Bal Harbour, North Bay Village, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, Hialeah, City of Miami Beach, and Lauderhill have been pinpointed as PFAS hotspots according to EPA data. 

All the cities show levels for PFOA and PFOS higher than the new limit, but cities like North Miami, Bal Harbour, and North Bay Village show test results for PFOS more than ten times over the new limit, NBC6’s analysis found.

While Miami-Dade Water and Sewer, City of Pembroke Pines, and Lauderhill show levels more than seven times over.

“You need to learn and understand what you are breathing, what you are eating, and what you're drinking, what's in that, and where it is coming from. And based on that, you can take intervention at your level to reduce your exposure,” Kumar said. 

Along with the updated standards on PFAS, the EPA plans on dishing out $1 billion in funding to help states test and add treatment solutions to address the forever chemicals in the future.