Is there fecal matter in the beaches in Florida?

Florida's rainy summer and the recent storm make some beaches more treacherous to swim in because of higher levels of fecal contamination. People who come into contact with contaminated water can experience gastrointestinal illness, ear and eye infections, and skin rashes.



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Eighty-four percent of Gulf Coast beaches, 70% of West Coast beaches, and 63% of the Great Lakes reached these potentially unsafe levels at least once in 2022. A tool on the Environment America website shows state-by-state data if you want to see how your local beaches stack up.

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Eighty-four percent of Gulf Coast beaches, 70% of West Coast beaches, and 63% of the Great Lakes reached these potentially unsafe levels at least once in 2022.

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You might not see it or smell it, but a lot of America's beaches are infested with fecal bacteria.

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Many fecal bacteria, like enterococci, thrive in Florida's warm waters, which have reached record-high temperatures this summer.

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Beaches, like swimming pools, can be contaminated with poop, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on your summer plans. But, you should consider checking the beach's water quality levels before going for a swim.

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Another potential source of illness includes some types of cyanobacteria that form algal “blooms” (discolored water) and the toxins they produce. When people are exposed to cyanotoxins, they may have hay fever-like symptoms, skin rashes, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or even kidney or liver damage.

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Another potential threat beachgoers should be aware of in Florida is Vibrio vulnificus — rare species of so-called flesh-eating bacteria found in raw shellfish or seawater. The dangerous strain of vibrio bacteria has been linked to five deaths in Florida this year, state health officials said.

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What South Florida beaches tested unsafe?
  • ? South Beach in Key West tested unsafe 68% of the time.
  • ? Higgs Beach in Key West tested unsafe 46% of the time.
  • ? Dubois Park in Jupiter tested unsafe 22% of the time.
  • ? North Shore Ocean Terrace in Miami Beach tested unsafe 18% of the time.


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Beaches With Clear Water: The Best in the United States
  • Waimea Bay Beach Park, Hawaii. ...
  • Crandon Park Beach, Florida. ...
  • Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia. ...
  • Clearwater Beach, Florida. ...
  • Carmel Beach, Carmel by The Sea, California. ...
  • Cannon Beach, Oregon. ...
  • Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada. ...
  • Clear Water, Clear Skies, Good Times.


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According to a recent report from Environment America, 55 percent of the 3,192 beaches around the country that were regularly tested for potential contamination by government researchers in 2022 had potentially unsafe levels of bacteria on at least one testing day.

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Some two-thirds of Great Lakes beaches that were tested had at least one unsafe day, according to the Environment America report. In Ohio and Pennsylvania, which border Lake Erie, all but three of the tested beaches had at least one unsafe day last year.

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In all that litter, there is one item more common than any other: cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are a pervasive, long-lasting, and a toxic form of marine debris.

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You can get sick with diarrhea if you swallow contaminated water in pools, hot tubs, splash pads, oceans, lakes, or rivers. In fact, diarrhea is the most common illness reported for outbreaks linked to water in these places.

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Beach sand has been found to contain eggs and/or larvae of the human and zoonotic parasites Toxocara spp. (roundworm), Ancylostoma spp. (hookworm) and Trichuris spp.

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