Determination of various PFAS in drinking water using on-line SPE coupled to LC-MS/MS

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) refer to a class of more than 4000 individual chemicals that have been widely used since the 1950s, e.g. as fire retardants, food packaging materials or non-stick coatings. These compounds offer heat-resistant, and oil- and waterrepellant properties as well as chemical and thermal stability, resistance to UV light and weathering. Due to their anthropogenic origin, PFAS cannot be degraded, and hence they accumulate and can now be detected ubiquitously in the environment. Since drinking water is considered to be an important source of human PFAS intake, testing drinking water for PFAS levels has been essential for several years now.This Application News demonstrates the determination of all PFAS requested in the EU directive 2020/2184[1] on the quality of water intended for human consumption in an appropriate concentration range. Furthermore, the analysis includes 24 additional PFAS and 22 internal standard using the same method based on an on-line SPE approach which omits additional sample preparation steps.