NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – Inside a Florida International University lab, work is being done to learn more about PFAS, which are often called forever chemicals.
Natalia Soares Quinete is an assistant professor at FIU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and with the Institute of Environment.
“I’m not going to lie to you…it is a big issue,” she said. “You find it in water, we find it in soil, we find it in bio solids, in rain water.”
Quinete heads the department that has been closely studying the man-made chemicals and the risk they pose to our health.
Their studies include taking samples in South Florida, from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“We collected tap waters,” she said. “We found out that those compounds are everywhere.”
Quinete said the numbers are typically more concentrated in areas like airports and military bases.
“The concentration varies,” she said.
A couple weeks ago, the issue of these chemicals in our drinking water came up before Broward County commissioners.
In Broward, cities will soon need to take action to reduce the amount of these toxic chemicals in the water.
As Quinete notes, it’s not only a problem with the water though.
“Try to avoid cooking with Teflon pans,” she said. “Try not to use those water resistant makeups, because they also have PFAS.”
With water at home, filters can help but they are not a 100% effective solution.
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