Miami, FL


Miami, FL

The City of Miami is home to an estimated 463,347 residents, and it’s located in Miami-Dade County, FL.

This report will help you become better acquainted with Miami and the surrounding area by addressing the following questions:

  • Are there any hazardous sites in Miami-Dade County, FL?
  • How clean is the air in Miami-Dade County, FL?
  • What’s the average radon level for homes in Miami-Dade County, FL?
  • Is the water in Miami-Dade County, FL safe to drink?

Hazardous Sites near Miami, FL

There are six Superfund sites in Miami-Dade County, FL. Superfund sites, like Miami Drum Services in Miami, FL, are areas that have been contaminated with hazardous substances. If not for the cleanup efforts orchestrated by the EPA, these sites could endanger people living in nearby communities.

The EPA uses the Hazardous Ranking System (HRS) to quantify the risk a contaminated site poses to human health and the environment. Sites assigned HRS scores of 28.5 or greater qualify for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL), and are eligible to receive federal funding for cleanup efforts.

Before the EPA deletes a site from the NPL, it conducts reviews to ensure the cleanup was sufficient. As a result, some sites remain on the active site list long after cleanup activities are complete.

For more information about the Superfund sites located in the Miami, FL area, be sure to review the map and background information provided below:


Map Legend:

12086

A. Miami Drum Services (HRS Score: 54)

The Miami Drum Services site, where the Miami Drum Services company cleaned and recycled drums from 1966 to 1981, is located in Miami, FL.

Contaminants found at the Miami Drum Services site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Benzene
  • Cadmium
  • Lead
  • Chloroethene (Vinyl Chloride)
12086

B. Continental Cleaners (HRS Score: 50)

The Continental Cleaners site, in Miami, FL, was home to a dry cleaning facility from 1967 to 2005. Prior to 1967, a gas station was operated on the property.

12086

C. Airco Plating Co. (HRS Score: 42)

The Airco Plating Co. site, an active metal plating facility, is located in Miami, FL.

Contaminants found at the Airco Plating Co. site include:

  • Cadmium
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium
  • Cyanide
  • Lead
12086

D. Homestead Air Force Base (HRS Score: 42)

The Homestead Air Force Base site, a base tasked with the operation and maintenance of aircraft and ground support equipment, is located in Homestead Air Force Base, FL.

Contaminants found at the Homestead Air Force Base site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Benzene
12086

E. Pepper Steel & Alloys, Inc. (HRS Score: 32)

The Pepper Steel & Alloys, Inc. site, where a variety of industrial businesses operated from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, is located in Medley, FL.

Contaminants found at the Pepper Steel & Alloys, Inc. site include:

  • Arsenic
  • Lead
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
12086

F. Anodyne, Inc. (HRS Score: 31)

The Anodyne, Inc. site, where an industrial facility operated from 1960 to 1978, is located in North Miami Beach, FL.

Contaminants found at the Anodyne, Inc. site include:

  • Aluminum
  • Antimony
  • Arsenic
  • Barium
  • Beryllium

Air Quality in the Miami, FL Area

The two most widespread forms of air pollution are ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot). Exposure to these harmful pollutants, for even just a short period, can have adverse effects on your health.

Thanks to data collected by air monitoring equipment located across the country, the American Lung Association (ALA) is able to assess and track our air quality using three metrics:

  • Ozone
  • Short-term Particle Pollution
  • Year-round Particle Pollution

In their 2019 annual report, the ALA rated the air quality in Miami-Dade County, FL as follows:

Ground-Level
Ozone Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Short-Term
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: A-F

Year-Round
Particle Pollution

Grading Scale: Pass/Fail

Radon Levels in Miami, FL Area

Air quality inside your home can be impacted by a number of factors, including the presence of hazardous substances in building materials (asbestos, lead, formaldehyde, etc.) and local radon levels.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas you cannot see or smell. It can build up inside your home and negatively impact your indoor air quality as well as your health.

To provide a guideline, the EPA assigned one of three zones to each U.S. county and county equivalent:

  • Zone 1 (higher radon levels)
  • Zone 2 (moderate levels)
  • Zone 3 (lower levels)

Indoor radon readings in Miami-Dade County, FL are expected to average from 2 to 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), so the county has been assigned EPA Radon Zone 2.

EPA Radon Zone

According to the EPA, you should consider acting to reduce your home's radon level if it measures between 2 and 4 pCi/L, so if you're contemplating buying a home in Miami, FL, you should have a radon test performed.

Water Quality in Miami, FL Area

In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the EPA sets regulatory limits for drinking water contaminants known to cause adverse health effects.

The following Miami-Dade County, FL water provider(s) violated the maximum allowable level for one or more regulated contaminants:

Filter ValueWater SystemContaminantHealth Effects
12086Americana VillageTotal Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)Increased risk of cancer 
12086Americana VillageTTHMLiver, kidney, or central nervous system problems; increased risk of cancer 
12086Jones' Trailer ParkTotal Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)Increased risk of cancer 
12086Jones' Trailer ParkTTHMLiver, kidney, or central nervous system problems; increased risk of cancer 

In addition to setting enforceable standards for harmful contaminants, the EPA also established guidelines to assist public water providers in managing the taste, odor and color of their drinking water.

To find out more about what’s in your drinking water, contact your utility company and request a copy of the latest Consumer Confidence Report.


Sources and Methods

Hazardous Sites: Identified using a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous sites detailed on trendingtowns.com represent sites contained on the National Priorities List (NPL) as of November 25, 2019.  The NPL is the list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories.  All site-related data was sourced from the EPA.

Air Quality: Grades for ozone, short-term particle pollution, and year-round particle pollution were obtained from State of the Air 2019, a report compiled by the American Lung Association.

Radon Zones: Radon zone designations were obtained using a public use dataset provided by the EPA (September 11, 2019).

Water Quality: Drinking water violation data was sourced from the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), a public use database provided by the EPA.  The dataset included violations submitted to the database as of the third quarter of 2019.

Paul

I’ve moved several times over the years, so I know just how stressful it can be to relocate. I want to help put your mind at ease. That’s why I research and write about all the things I think you should consider when moving to a new town.

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