Researching Environmental Analytical Technologies to Develop Techniques that Increase the Efficiency of PFAS Analysis

The Frontier of Environmental Research in China

The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science (RCEES) was established in 1975 as China’s first national advanced research institution in the field of environmental ecology. It has served an important role in the advancement of environmental sciences aimed at solving environmental problems in China and throughout the world. Among the researchers at that research center, Prof. Wang is a researcher that serves as the General Manager of an important government-funded laboratory.

“I have been developing techniques for analyzing new pollutants and identifying corresponding dynamic processes in the environment for many years, while at the same time being involved in a broad variety of other research, ranging from identifying the mechanisms of human exposure to such pollutants to researching how the pollutants affect human health. I am also involved in creating new techniques for analyzing natural organic compounds, researching environmental interface processes, and other topics.”

Prof. Wang explained that he has been researching PFAS since about 2008. The specific topic of his research is identifying the mechanisms involved in PFAS health risks. Several projects have been conducted for that research.

In response to the growing interest in environmental problems, in 2019 the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and the city of Hangzhou jointly established, with the approval of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Zhejiang provincial government, a new Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS) in China as a second-tier university directly affiliated with the UCAS. The aim of the HAIS is to promote innovative science and technology and to foster deeply integrated cooperation within industry-government-academia collaborations and also to provide essential support for achieving advancements in regional economies and societies. Among its activities, regional environmental conservation and addressing health issues are recognized as especially important.

How PFAS are Harmful to Humans

To solve the issues involved, Prof. Wang led a key project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China entitled “Research of Mechanisms Involved in the Metabolism of, Human Exposure to, and Health Effects of Typical Bioaccumulated Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).”

“The project used a combination of mass spectrometry, molecular biology, and computational toxicology to determine the laws governing the distribution and transformation of PFAS chemicals after they enter the body and research the harmful effects and corresponding potential molecular mechanisms from exposure to PFAS.”

That succession of research work has definitely generated results. For example, a clearly higher concentration of PFOA was detected in lung adenocarcinoma patients than in healthy people. Results from animal studies based on that fact determined how interactions between PFOA and integrin proteins on the surface of cells affected the progression of lung adenocarcinoma.

“We also researched how exposure affected groups with higher sensitivity, such as fetuses and newborns. Those research results suggest that PFAS exposure during late pregnancy might affect infant birth weight.”

 

Research on chlorinated paraffins, an environmental pollutant, examined the behavior of chlorinated paraffins in the environment and their transition mechanisms. That revealed the dynamics of chlorinated paraffins in the environment and identified their potential risks. That and other research by Prof. Wang has been supported by analytical instruments supplied by Shimadzu.

He expressed his appreciation for the role of Shimadzu instruments, saying “We operate Shimadzu analytical instruments almost every day of the year. That has enabled successive discoveries of new pollutants and smoothly identifying the mechanisms related to the harm caused by pollutants.”

Instruments Used to Develop New Analytical Techniques

Two LC-MS/MS systems and two GC-MS/MS systems are used in the laboratory.

“Working with Shimadzu has also resulted in achieving several important research results in terms of developing new techniques for PFAS analysis. For example, we developed a new method using LC-MS for high-throughput analysis of 56 types of PFAS and submitted a patent application for the invention based on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). We also jointly developed and commercialized the PFAS MRM Database, which contains information about 103 types of PFAS compounds. Because these analytical methods achieve high sensitivity and low detection limits, they enable high throughput analysis of PFAS components with a single sample injection. Furthermore, by optimizing mass spectrometer parameters and the ion source, PFAS components that previously could only be analyzed by GC-MS can now be analyzed by LC-MS.

Prof. Wang is also developing a method for analyzing ultrashort-chain PFAS with extremely low molecular weights. PFAS with extremely short chain lengths are present widely throughout the environment and have attracted the attention of researchers throughout the world in recent years due to increasing threats from environmental problems. In particular, there has been a prominent increase in the concentration of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) contained in a variety of environmental media, reaching levels higher than other PFAS compounds. Furthermore, mammalian toxicity research has confirmed the reproductive toxicity and hepatotoxicity of TFA. However, until now ultrashort-chain PFAS were difficult to analyze. That is because of the strong hydrophilicity and high polarity of ultrashort-chain PFAS compounds, which result in their immediate elution from regular reversed-phase columns due to lack of retention.

“To solve that unique challenge of ultrashort-chain PFAS compounds, we wondered whether supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) could be used. With Shimadzu’s support, we were able to develop a more efficient and environmentally friendly method for analyzing specifically five types of high-polarity ultrashort-chain PFAS using an analytical method based on the unique separation selectivity characteristics of SFC. That SFC-based mass spectrometry technology enabled accurate quantitative analysis of ultrashort-chain PFAS compounds that were difficult to analyze by LC-MS.”

As environmental problems continue to change, new pollutants are being discovered. Therefore, new research is being initiated to focus on determining the health risks of composite pollutants formed from multiple compounds. Meanwhile, new innovations in analytical technology are enabling the accurate detection of new pollutants that were previously difficult to detect. Managing such new pollutants will also be an important challenge for the future.

Launching the Joint Research Laboratory to Achieve the Next Step in Research

Prof. Wang praised the Shimadzu analytical instruments, saying “They always provide high sensitivity, high consistently, high contamination resistance, and other superior performance features, even after long hours of operation, which makes them especially well-suited for analyzing new pollutants.”

“Shimadzu also offers superior aftermarket service and support capabilities. That means that if an instrument failure occurs, Shimadzu can quickly resolve any problems with expert technical support. They also provide appropriate advice about maintenance based on maintaining a constant understanding of operating circumstances determined from periodic inspections. That ensures the instruments can be operated reliably.”

Soon, Shimadzu and the HAIS will jointly establish a new laboratory. The purpose of the new laboratory will be to elevate the research on the dynamics of new pollutants in the environment and health risks to a higher-level using Shimadzu’s advanced analytical instruments and technologies.

“We intend to use the new laboratory to strengthen the collaboration between industry, government, and academia and achieve practical applications for research results more quickly. Our aim is to contribute to solving environmental problems not only within China but also throughout the world. We look forward to the new instruments Shimadzu will continue to develop as our powerful guiding partner for research. In addition, as our ongoing partner in research, we definitely want to understand Shimadzu’s research concepts in the future as well. Then we could build an innovative research platform based on our cooperative relationship with Shimadzu and ideally expand it to include training new specialist human resources.”

In China, which could be considered a leader in chemistry, new high-performance chemical substances are constantly being developed one after another. As a result, it cannot be denied that new pollutants may emerge. That is the very reason for publishing the List of New Pollutants for Priority Control (2023 version), which lists 14 substances including PFAS. In addition, microplastics have also been specified for being controlled.

Therefore, Shimadzu is committed to offering a variety of solutions for solving environmental problems and then deploying those results globally.

Note: Information, organizational affiliations, and job titles indicated in this article were current at the time of the interview.