Challenges and Solutions: Approaches to Reducing Interferences and Adsorption in PFAS Environmental Analysis.Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment - Session 4
Oral Presentation
Prepared by M. Giardina
Agilent Technologies, Inc, 2850 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE, 19808, United States
Contact Information: matthew_giardina@agilent.com; 302-636-8211
ABSTRACT
One of the key challenges in analysis of PFAS is the adsorption of target compounds or the introduction of interferences which may occur at any point in the sample workflow from the initial collection of field samples to preparation and analysis. These challenges are compounded due to the low-level reporting limits required by regulatory agencies. As a result, it is common practice to avoid certain materials during sample handling and analysis. For example, ISO and EPA methods recommend the avoidance of untreated glass and PTFE containing materials during sample preparation and recommend the use of polypropylene. Other materials may be used if they can be demonstrated to be free of interferences or adsorptions. Only recently have the performance of different materials been systematically studied and published in the scientific literature. However, there is little information published on these issues viewed within the context of laboratory workflow. In this paper, the impact of adsorption and interference are studied in the context of a typical sample preparation workflow for the analysis of PFAS in soil during extraction, filtration and analysis. The study will focus on 25 analytes representative of different classes of PFAS compounds including sulfonic acids, carboxylic acids, sulfonamides, and sulfonamidoacetic acids with the addition of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA). The establishment of best practices will be discussed in detail.
