Trends and Challenges in PFAS Analysis

Welcome to The Analytical Scientist’s Trends and Challenges in PFAS Analysis forum!

Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, are a family of synthetic substances used in everyday products, such as stain and grease-repellent coatings and have appeared in almost all foods and drinking water. Toxic at extremely low levels, regulators demand low detection limits, and the list of PFAS compounds under investigation continues to expand.

We recently asked our readers for their thoughts on the challenges involved in PFAS analysis, whether current methods are up to the task, and what analytical advances may be on the horizon.

Here, our panel of experts will discuss the survey findings and share their perspectives on the latest trends and best practices in PFAS analysis.

The event will have three parts:

• Part I: A discussion of the results of our recent vendor-neutral audience survey (10-15 minutes).

• Part II: Technology/application-focused presentations from each of our speakers (15 minutes each).

• Part III: A chance for you to ask our speakers questions as part of an audience Q&A (15 minutes).

Presenter: Day Powell (Environmental Application Specialist , Agilent)

Day has worked for Agilent as an Environmental Specialist for one year. Before this he worked for a major UK Water company (United Utilities) as a senior analyst responsible for developing new methodologies for both LC/MS and GC/MS applications.

Day has analysed PFAS for several years and helped United Utilities to gain UKAS accreditation for determining 47 PFAS by LC/MS in drinking water using direct injection to address the latest Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

Presenter: Marcus Chadha (EMEA Applications Specialist Manager, Agilent) Dr. Marcus Chadha has worked for Agilent for seven years where he first worked as an LC/MS Field Application Specialist before moving on to being the EMEA Applications Specialist Manager in 2021.

In his roles he has collaborated with our Environmental and Food customers, developed new methods, and trained LC/TQ and LC-Q/TOF MS workflows to new and existing customers.

He now coordinates these activities using his team of GC/MS and LC/MS application specialists. Marcus is also responsible for the market specialisation activities for the environmental market across Europe.

Presenter: Linx Waclaski (Product Manager for Ion Chromatography, Metrohm USA)

Linx Waclaski is the Product Manager for Ion Chromatography at Metrohm USA, in Riverview, Florida. He has years of experience in multiple chromatographic techniques, including ion chromatography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry, with extensive experience in R&D and applications development.

His chromatography applications experience extends across environmental, food safety, and life sciences industries. He has an M.S. in Forensic Science from Duquesne University.

Presenter: Ruth Marfil-Vega (Senior Market Manager - Environmental, Shimadzu)

Dr. Ruth Marfil-Vega has 20 years of expertise in environmental chemistry and engineering in the US and Europe. She has worked with the EPA and the utilities industry to design and execute comprehensive solutions for addressing new environmental and water quality issues, including PFAS, regulated and unregulated DBPs, and other emerging contaminants.

Since Ruth joined Shimadzu five years ago, she has continued to work with environmental stakeholders to ensure that analytical instrumentation and workflows support their success.

She earned a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Valladolid (Spain) and a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.