Advanced Chromatography and Workflow Options for Perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Analysis in Drinking Water, Sediments, and Food Samples by QuEChERs, SPE and LC-MS/MS

Characterization of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment
Oral Presentation

Prepared by S. Krepich, A. Misa, D. Kennedy
Phenomenex, Inc., 411 Madrid Avenue, Torrance, CA, 90501, United States


Contact Information: scottk@phenomenex.com; 310-212-0555


ABSTRACT

Perfluroalkyl Substances (PFASs) are synthetic organofluorine compounds which are bioaccumulative and extremely resistant to degradation from heat, acids, or bases. Human exposure to residues has been implicated in the incidence of obesity, cancer, endocrine system disruption, and other adverse health effects. Owing to the 70 ng/L in drinking water health advisory issued by USEPA in May 2016, concerns about PFAS in drinking water have received a great deal of attention. However, in addition to drinking water, PFAS have been shown to be widely distributed in the environment and have been detected in such diverse matrices as food packaging, textiles, and fire-fighting foams, as well as in the blood of the general population.

In addition, owing to their environmental persistence and highly bioaccumulative nature, questions have also been raised whether these substances are likewise being transmitted to livestock) through the water supply and environmental exposures and thereby are entering the general food supply. To address these concerns, a much broader analytical assessment will be required. In this presentation we will describe various workflows for the extraction and analysis of Perfuoroalkyl Substances in water as well as food samples using recent advancements in sample preparation and chromatographic techniques coupled with LC-MS/MS. Analytical results will be presented for such diverse matrices as drinking water, sediments, butter, and eggs.