A High Efficiency Method for the Extraction and Quantitative Analysis of 45 PFAS in Whole Fish

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Whole-body fish tissue analysis is crucial for assessing ecological impacts of contaminants.
• Existing methods like EPA 1633 struggle with the complex matrix of whole fish, yielding unreliable results.
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants requiring robust analytical techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for extracting PFAS from whole fish tissue.
• To evaluate freeze-drying as a preservation technique for PFAS in fish tissue.
• To demonstrate the method's application on fish samples from Lake Michigan.

Main Methods:

• A new lipid removal technology was employed to clean extracts, bypassing traditional solid-phase extraction and evaporative concentration.
• The method was validated for accuracy and efficiency in detecting 45 PFAS compounds.
• Freeze-drying preservation was tested for its ability to retain PFAS in fish tissue.

Main Results:

• The developed method achieved high accuracy (96 ± 9%) for detecting 45 PFAS in whole fish tissue.
• Lipid removal technology effectively cleaned extracts, preventing PFAS loss common in other methods.
• Freeze-drying preserved most PFAS, though volatile compounds like sulfonamide precursors were lost.
• Application to Lake Michigan fish showed PFAS concentration varied by location and species.

Conclusions:

• The new method provides a simplified, time-efficient, and waste-reducing alternative for PFAS analysis in whole fish.
• Freeze-drying is a suitable preservation method for bioaccumulative PFAS in fish, with caveats for volatile compounds.
• The study successfully demonstrated field applicability, highlighting location and species as key factors in PFAS contamination.