PFAS, the hardiest of man-made chemicals, are like gum on the bottom of your shoe, but far more sinister. Used in consumer and industry products since the 1940s, they can linger in the outdoors for decades, loiter in the human body for up to 35 years, and are linked to a growing list of negative health effects, including cancer.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Florida are documenting just how many are found in the state’s surface water, including its prized freshwater springs, which provide 90% of the drinking water to its inhabitants.