North Miami Beach, FL Water Quality (ZIP 33181)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 33181 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 33181's water at an average of 0.52 ppt across 11 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 33181? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 33181 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 33181 (North Miami Beach, FL). Monitoring found a peak of 50 ppt across 4 systems, averaging 0.52 ppt over 11 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: MODERATE – Moderate contamination – PFAS detected at meaningful levels; filtration recommended.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 33181

• PFOS: 50 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHPA: 22 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• 6:2 FTS: 0.19 ppt
• PFPEA: 0.06 ppt
• PFHXA: 0.06 ppt

Lead in ZIP 33181 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 17 lead samples for the systems serving 33181, with a 90th-percentile high of 1.16 mg/L (above the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 33181 in North Miami Beach, FL.

Beyond water: other exposures in North Miami Beach, FL

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 33181 and Miami-Dade County, FL.

Radon risk in Miami-Dade County, FL

The EPA places Miami-Dade County, FL in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Miami-Dade County, FL

Census figures show 52% of homes in Miami-Dade County, FL were built before 1980, and 8% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Miami-Dade County, FL

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Miami-Dade County, FL averages 7.5 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Superfund sites near 33181

There is 1 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) site within about five miles of 33181: Anodyne, Inc. (about 4.6 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 33181

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 1 reporting facility within about five miles of 33181, together reporting roughly 12,117 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.