Effective Use of Method EPA 8327/ASTM D8421/D8535 ‘Direct-Injection’ Techniques to Optimize Rapid TAT and Reduce Overall Project Costs

As public awareness and regulations regarding PFAS contamination continue to expand, so does the overall volume of sampling and analysis for PFAS. Currently, the routine analytical approach for PFAS analysis is to first prepare/cleanup/concentrate the sample by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and then analyze by LC-MS/MS. Sample preparation by SPE is a very time- and cost-intensive process; considering the drastic expansion of PFAS monitoring that is expected to come with future regulation, a new approach is needed to reduce overall project costs and increase the lab’s ability to provide rapid, actionable results.

Pace has developed and validated a ‘direct injection’ approach for PFAS analysis by LC-MS/MS, similar to the protocols described in EPA 8327 and ASTM D8421 & D8535. This new approach has been employed in two field projects, in which the data were used for guidance on boring and sampling for continued project analyses. Comparison data will be presented, showing good agreement between results from SPE methods and this new ‘direct injection’ method.

Presenter: Stephen Somerville (Technical Director – PFAS, Bio-Sketch)

As the PFAS Technical Director, Mr. Somerville is responsible for the technical oversight of all the PFAS analysis operations within Pace’s nationwide network of environmental testing laboratories, including 8 PFAS centers of excellence. Mr. Somerville guides the development and implementation of both routine and customized analytical approaches throughout the network. Mr. Somerville is charged with leading efforts toward improving, standardizing, and expanding PFAS analytical services within each PFAS laboratory, as well as providing technical advice to sales, marketing, quality/compliance, project management and analytical teams within Pace.