Triple-stage Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer to Determine Ubiquitously Present Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants.
• Accurate quantification of PFAS in drinking water is crucial for public health and environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive analytical method for determining specific PFAS in drinking water.
• To establish a reliable method for assessing PFAS contamination levels.

Main Methods:

• Solid phase extraction (SPE) for sample concentration.
• Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for detection and quantification.
• Use of isotopically labeled internal standards and surrogate standards for accuracy and performance monitoring.

Main Results:

• Method validated for common PFAS contaminants in drinking water.
• Recoveries of four surrogates ranged from 84% to 113%.
• Calculated limits of detection (DL) were generally 1.0-3.0 ng/L, and minimum reporting limits (MRL) were 5-10 ng/L.

Conclusions:

• An accurate and efficient analytical method for ppt-level PFAS determination in drinking water was successfully developed.
• The method provides a valuable tool for understanding and addressing the PFAS crisis through improved water monitoring.