PFAS – The
Problem That
Won’t Go Away...
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What are PFAS?
PFAS (Per/Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) are a groupof man-made chemicals that includes PFOA,PFOS, GenX, and many others, that have been
manufactured and used in a variety of industries
around the globe since the 1940s.

PFAS and human healthDue to their widespread use,
and their prevalence in theenvironment many people
throughout the world havebeen exposed to PFAS, withdrinking water one of the mostcommon routes through which
exposure occurs.

PFAS enter the environment through production
or waste streams.

Where are PFAS found?
PFAS chemicals are found in a wide array of consumer and industrial products, and have beenhighly utilized in various industries due to their unique properties.
They can be found in commonly used products such as:Firefighting
foams

Nonstick
cookwareMarkers

Cleaning
products

FoodpackagingWhy are PFAS important to industrial
and commercial products?
PFAS are considered important in industrial andcommercial products due to their extremely
stable chemical structure and unique chemical
properties, making them long-lived substances(hence the nickname ‘Forever Chemicals’).

What is the issue with PFAS?
The very characteristics that have madethem attractive for use in an array ofproducts, are the ones that have led totheir wide-spread contamination of theenvironment and humans.

UsefulvsHarmful

How are humans exposed to PFAS?
Human exposure occurs because when PFAS enter into the water supply, and they do notbreakdown, they are then ingested either directly, or through the contamination of the waterused in an agricultural or manufacturing processes. Humans are also exposed through foodcontact materials and household and personal care products. Many people throughout
the world have been exposed and have one or more specific PFAS in their blood, especially
PFOA and PFOS.
Exposure examples include:

Contaminatedsoil or water

Commercial
products

Industrial
uses

Drinkingwater

Eating tainted meatand seafood

How are PFAS monitored and analyzed?
Researchers measure PFAS in air, drinking water, soils, etc., to understand how and towhat degree humans might be exposed. They are seen and can be measured at low ng/L(or parts per trillion) level.
The development and validation of laboratory
methods to detect and quantify selected
PFAS includes:

Water

Stack emissions

soil/biologicals/biota

These methods can be used by federal agencies, states, municipal/contract
testing labs and local communities to analyze PFAS in the environment anddetermine safe levels.

Agilent solutions for the detection and analysis of PFAS
Agilent provides complete end-to-end workflows for extraction, quantification, and reporting ofPFAS in the environment. This includes sample containment, sample preparation tools, extraction
products, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry or
extremely low levels measurement of PFAS.
Instruments
Agilent Ultivo
Triple Quadrupole
LC/MS (LC/TQ)

Consumables
Agilent 6495C
Triple Quadrupole
LC/MS

Agilent
6546 LC/Q-TOF

Sources:1.

NRDC: Scientific and Policy Assessment for Addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Drinking Water. 									https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/assessment-for-addressing-pfas-chemicals-in-michigan-drinking-water.pdf. Accessed June 2019 AND Aquatek: PFA’s PFOA’s and PFOS’s. 		
What are they? https://www.aquatekpro.com/pfa-pfoa-pfos.html. Accessed June 20192.

EPA: Basic Information on PFAS. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas. Accessed June 20193.

EPA: Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/research-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. Accessed June 20194.

ATSDR: PFAS Blood Testing. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/pfas-blood-testing.html. Accessed June 20195.

Food and Water Watch: These Chemicals Are Forever: Water Contamination from PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS. 										https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/these-chemicals-are-forever-water-contamination-pfoa-pfos-and-other-pfas. Accessed June 2019 AND ATSDR: PFAS Blood Testing.
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/pfas-blood-testing.html. Accessed June 2019 AND LiceScience: What Are PFAS. https://www.livescience.com/65364-pfas.html. Accessed June 20196.

EPA: Basic Information on PFAS. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas. Accessed June 20197.

EPA: Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/research-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. Accessed June 20198.

United Nations Environment Programme: PFAS analysis in water for the Global Monitoring Plan of the Stockholm Convention. 							https://unitar.org/cwm/sites/unitar.org.cwm/files/uploads/wd.5_guidance_on_pfas_in_water.pdf. Accessed June 2019

To learn more about Agilent solutions visit:www.agilent.com/