OE240 PFAS Method Validation

The detection and quantitation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is becoming an increasingly important aspect of environmental remediation processes. While, historically, two disparate mass spectrometry technologies, triple quadrupole and high-resolving power platforms, have risen to the forefront for either quantitation or detection, the use of a single platform to perform both functions would be highly advantageous to forwarding these efforts. Additionally, the highly cooperative nature of these environmental missions would be greatly aided by the use of vendor-neutral software for data analysis and data sharing/collaboration. Here we present an absolute quantitative LC-MS method performed on a high-resolving power orbitrap instrument utilizing Skyline software for data analysis. This method was validated for 45 PFAS compounds (incorporating 23 internal standards) across 7 different chemical classes using recommended guidelines found in EPA Method 537.1. It achieves limits on par with previous methods, but importantly does so without the need for upfront pre-concentration/extraction.