Remember “forever chemicals,” contaminants from nonstick cookware, fast-food packaging, fire-fighting gear and water-resistant household products that get into water supplies and accumulate in the human body? The latest Environmental Protection Agency shows that drinking water for at least one in every seven Americans, about 49.5 million people, contain unsafe levels.
Since the EPA last updated these records in August, over 100 additional public drinking water systems have reported yearly averages of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, that exceed new limits the EPA approved in 2024.
In Florida, Palm Springs residents could see an average of 9.5 times the safe limit, in the October data the EPA released in November. Key West has more than 11.5 times the safe limit. A water system in Holiday, Florida, reported 19.5 times the safe limit. You can look up your address below.
There are thousands of types of PFAS chemicals, which are nearly indestructible because they were engineered to repel liquids and heat. High levels of PFAS have been linked to kidney cancer, ulcerative colitis, breast cancer, diagnosed high cholesterol, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, low birthweight babies and pregnancy-induced hypertension, although studies are inconclusive and still ongoing.
The EPA originally limited six types of PFAS in drinking water under the Biden Administration, but announced it would rescind all but two of those limits in May.
MAP: Where water systems reported PFAS contamination
Click on a system in the map below to review its PFAS measurements. You may also enter an address in the search box to locate the nearest water systems. Don’t see a map? Click here.
What are PFAS, or forever chemicals?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) refers to a family of nearly 1,500 unique types of synthetic chemical compounds. They were invented in 1938 when a chemist accidentally created a slippery substance that would later become the foundation of the miraculous and popular line of Teflon nonstick pots and pans.
PFAS have incredible water-resistant properties which makes them excellent for many home and industrial uses, but those same qualities also make PFAS virtually indestructible and long-lasting since they don’t completely degrade in the environment, or in your body. That’s why they’re called “forever chemicals.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as carcinogenic to humans and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Do PFAS chemicals cause cancer?
Studies have not yet been conclusive, but several have linked PFAS exposure to a wide range of health issues in animals including:
However, results of animal studies do not always correlate with human health results.
“Some increases in kidney, prostate, and testicular cancers have been seen in individuals exposed to higher PFASlevels,” the Florida Department of Health says in a PFAS fact sheet. “Most of these exposures were in people who worked or lived near PFAS manufacturing facilities.”
Do I have PFAS in my blood?
Almost certainly.
In EPA data released in November, hundreds of water systems around the country providing drinking water to nearly 50 million people were found to have PFAS contaminants, more than one in four public drinking water systems. PFAS, particularly PFOA and PFOS, can be found in air, soil, water, blood, urine, breast milk and umbilical cord blood.
You also can be exposed to PFAS by eating fish caught from PFAS-contaminated water, swallowing or breathing in PFAS contaminated soil or dust, or accidentally swallowing residue or dust from consumer products containing PFAS such as stain resistant carpeting and water repellent clothing, the FDOH said.
The levels of PFOA and PFOS have dropped in recent years, according to the EPA, thanks to some U.S. manufacturers voluntarily phasing them out in the 2000s, but some products still use them and experts say the newer PFAS developed to replace them also may have similarly harmful qualities. Exposure from drinking water remains the highest.
How can I limit PFAS exposure?
It is impossible at this point to eliminate all exposure to PFAS. But you can take steps to reduce it. According to the FDOH:
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Forever chemicals found in Florida’s drinking water. Map shows where
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Austin Fast, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
