https://www.wmnf.org/treating-tampa-bays-forever-chemicals-in-our-drinking-water/

Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially set limits on six hazardous so-called forever chemicals, known as PFAS, in our drinking water. PFAS stands for a large family of toxic man-made chemical compounds. These chemicals have been used in many consumer and industry products since the 1940s. They are in fire-fighting foam, non-stick cookware, clothing, upholstery, carpets, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and even dental floss. They’ve now been linked to negative health effects. Exposure to certain levels of PFAS can impact the body’s ability to fight infections and lead to reproductive effects or an increased risk of cancer. They are found everywhere at this point, so they inevitably end up in our water supply.

In the Tampa Bay region, PFAS chemicals have been detected in amounts above the EPA limits in some of the water supplied by water utilities from both the City of Tampa Water, and Tampa Bay Water which supplies drinking water to Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties, the cities of New Port Richey and St. Petersburg. But, according to the water quality experts who appeared on MidPoint Wednesday, there is no need to panic. The utilities plan to bring in new technology that will make it easier to filter out these PFAS chemicals.