Detection of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) in Environmental Water Samples

Detection requirements for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been getting more challenging as regulations to protect consumers continue to be created and updated for various types of water. This simple method using direct injection for PFAS analysis requires a highly sensitive mass spectrometer to reach necessary performance criteria. The enhanced negative ion sensitivity of the used Tandem Quadrupole MS allows for utilization of the direct injection method for PFAS analysis with a reduced sample injection volume of 10 μL without compromise to method performance.

Performance has been shown in four water sample matrices: drinking water, groundwater, surface water, and influent wastewater. Method detection limits of 33 compounds (11 carboxylates, 10 sulfonates, 8 precursors, and 4 emerging) were determined to range from 0.8–2.0 ng/L.