A new study by , Florida International University , found 21 forms of PFAS “forever compounds” in South Florida’s water. The study’s findings suggest that some of the PFAS that are transported through the waters cycle through extensive distances into the environment are carried over South Florida and into.
There are thousands of types of , PFAS , ( per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ) used in a wide range of products, including non-stick pans, carpeting, waterproof clothing, food packaging, firefighting foam, batteries and microelectronics.
Some versions have been linked to liver and kidney damage, ovulation problems, cancer, and various diseases because the molecules are small enough for consumption or inhalation. However, some people ‘ identities are still unknown.
They can get thousands of years to breakdown, and they can be found in water, food, and human blood all over the world.
The , Environmental Protection Agency , says it is “working hard to answer important questions about PFAS”. Nevertheless, they have become a worldwide problem.
In order to help understand PFAS options in , South Florida, FIU researchers , took 42 weather samples , at three places in , Miami-Dade County , throughout the year from , October 2021 , to , November 2022. They found that , South Florida , water had several PFAS in it.
In some cases, the specific PFAS compounds were local sources, but during the dry season ( October through May ), there was a spike in PFAS that was most likely from faraway U.S. regions.
Those peaks coincided with the schedule of north air masses moving north into , Florida. At the time, the PFAS from chemical flowers in the north were comparable.
FIU experts Natalia Soares Quinete and , Maria Guerra de Navarro, two of the writers on the research, suspect that dry weather makes it easy for wind to pick up molecules, and then the prevailing conditions of the dry winter carries those contaminants toward , Florida. The toxins are swept out of the sky when it rains around.
” PFAS are almost everywhere”, Quinete said. We can now demonstrate how important air masses are in moving these pollutants to places where they might have an impact on water and surface water.
How far can the substances go? ” There are reports that have  , found these materials in polar bears , in very remote areas”, Quinete said.
Also, water containing PFAS in , Florida , can dissolve and the particles can travel abroad, continuing the period.
Finding PFAS in rainwater was certainly surprising, according to Quinete, but” the data is crucial because the PFAS may be coming from far-off places.” Here in , Florida, we do n’t really have PFAS manufacturing industries, but we are seeing typical ( PFAS types ) that we are tracing to areas in the north”.
The research group reversed the route of the airmasses in South Florida when they observed PFAS peak concentrations using airmass simulation. During the dry time, those airmasses came from the north.
According to Guerra de Navarro, the two PFOA and PFOS materials are currently known to be the most harmful to people. Both were used in non-stick pan, some waterproof clothing, stain-resistant materials and fire foam.
PFOA was banned in the , U. S.  , in 2014 and nationally in 2020, but it is still cycling through our atmosphere.
The , EPA , designated PFOS as a dangerous substance , in April of 2024. ” Public water systems has started monitoring for PFOS by 2027 and take action to reduce rates if they exceed sure limits by 2029″, the , EPA , site said.
” We did find PFOA and PFOS ( in , Miami-Dade , rainwater )”, Guerra de Navarro said,” and we know that they are very toxic”. Their PFOA measurements were above safe drinking water levels in some locations, but not all the time, she said, and it could be coming from both local and far-off sources.
Miami-Dade County’s population densities make it more susceptible to PFAS than rural areas of , Florida, but the weather patterns that affect , Miami-Dade , also affect , Broward , and , Palm Beach , counties.
” We wanted to show what you do in one place can affect others”, Quinete said. ” We should be reducing PFAS more holistically, both domestically and internationally.”
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