Novel PFAS in Alligator Blood Discovered with Non-Targeted Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large and growing class of chemicals gaining global attention due to their persistence, mobility, and toxicity. Given the diverse chemical properties of PFAS and their varying distributions in water and tissue, monitoring of different matrices is critical to determine their presence and accumulation. Here, we sampled alligators from the Cape Fear River in North Carolina over 5 years (2018-2022) to search for novel PFAS and monitor PFAS levels in blood. Using a platform combining liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, and high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-HRMS), we applied a non-targeted analysis (NTA) method to detect and identify PFAS in the alligators. Structures for 12 PFAS were elucidated, including 2 novel structures, and an additional 34 known PFAS were detected. 3 of these compounds were previously unreported in environmental media. Quantitative analysis of 21 of the known PFAS revealed that plasma concentrations did not change in alligator plasma over the 5 year study, indicating that exposure is ongoing for these animals.