Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Non-Drinking Water Matrices Using the LC-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment
Poster Presentation

Prepared by R. Marfil-Vega, W. Lipps, C. Gilles
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, 7102 Riverwood Drive, Columbia, Maryland, 21046, United States


Contact Information: mmarfilvega@shimadzu.com; 410-910-0884

ABSTRACT

There has been an growing concern about the presence of PFASs in all environmental matrices including ground, surface, and waste water samples. Although perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFCAs) are the most studied polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances with chain lengths varying from C2-C14 have also been detected in various sample matrices. PFASs are a group of anthropogenic chemicals widely used in consumer products. Their unique properties, such as being highly stable and resistant to degradation, together with their ubiquitous use has resulted in the accumulation of PFAS in the environment. This poster describes a separation and detection of all 24 target PFAS compounds listed in the recently proposed EPA SW-846 Method 8327 in reagent, ground, surface, and waste water matrices using highly sensitive - Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. MRM transitions were optimized using Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) for all compounds. The target compounds were identified by comparing the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions in the sample to the MRM transitions in the standards. The target compounds were quantitated using the quantifier MRM transition of the target compounds utilizing external calibration. The linearity of the instrumental response was good, with an average regression coefficient of greater than 0.99 for most analytes. The poster demonstrates that the method performed well and could achieve good linearity, accuracy, and precision for all PFAS compounds listed in the EPA SW-846 Method 8327.