Beryllium is a metal used in aerospace and electronics that can enter water from industrial discharge.
In Florida, Beryllium was reported by 18 community water systems serving about 462,716 people. 1 of those readings were above the federal legal limit, together serving 469 people. It was measured by 1,559 systems in all, so it was detected in 1% of the systems that tested for it.
The highest reading relative to the limit was at Lakemont Ridge Home & RV Park in Polk County, at 3175% of it.
Where it comes from: Discharge from metal refineries and coal-burning factories; electrical and aerospace industries.
Enforceable. A utility must stay at or under this.
Health-based, not enforceable. Often lower than the limit, sometimes zero.
California OEHHA PHG (2003) For comparison the legal limit is 4 ppb.
Health effects the EPA associates with it: Intestinal lesions.
Water at or under the legal limit meets federal safety standards. A reading above a health goal is not the same as being unsafe, and health goals are set purely on health without regard to cost or treatability. Both are shown so the margin is visible either way.
These figures describe water as delivered by each utility, not what your home’s plumbing adds after it arrives. Informational; not a substitute for testing your own tap.