Analysis of PFAS: Strategies to Optimize Performance

Register for this discussion forum and benefit from the real-world experiences of our expert panelists who will provide their insights into:

• What analytical approach(es) offer the best results for PFAS in the environment?

• What are the challenges surrounding adoption of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for PFAS analysis?

• What are the biggest challenges currently in the analysis of PFAS?

• What developments in PFAS analysis should we expect next?

With research confirming that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and a health concern, calls for more regulatory guidance and stringent requirements have increased. Due to their unique properties, PFAS are widely used in industry and the production of everyday products like nonstick coatings for cookware, stain-repellent coatings for clothes and carpeting, detergents, cleaning products, and firefighting foams. After decades of widespread use, PFAS are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment and have been found in tissue samples in all parts of the world. Though PFAS were developed to simplify our lives, they have become a serious problem requiring increased monitoring and control.

Separation Science, in collaboration with Agilent, offers a discussion forum looking at analytical approaches to the targeted determination and quantification of PFAS in environmental matrices. Our expert panelists for this educational and informative event are:

Presenter: Detlef Knappe (North Carolina State University, USA)

Detlef Knappe is the S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University. He is the Deputy Director of NC State’s Superfund Center “Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS” and is a member of the Center for Human Health and the Environment. Dr. Knappe is interested in drinking water quality and treatment, water reuse, organic micropollutants, development of water treatment processes for polar and persistent organic pollutants, and the fate of organic pollutants in solid waste landfills. He is a Trustee of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA’s) Water Science and Research Division, and he is a member of the North Carolina Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board.

Presenter: Bradley Clarke (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Dr. Bradley Clarke is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne. He is also the lead researcher of the Australian Laboratory of Emerging Contaminants (ALEC). Dr. Clarke's research group in ALEC focusses on occurrence, fate and attenuation of emerging contaminants like PFAS, microplastics, and POPs in water, biosolids and other environmental media.

Presenter: Carrie McDonough (Stony Brook University, USA)

Carrie McDonough is Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Stony Brook University. Dr. McDonough is an environmental chemist working at the intersection of environmental organic chemistry, environmental engineering, and public health using cutting-edge field monitoring and analytical chemistry techniques to study the fate, transport, and biological effects of anthropogenic organic contaminants including PFAS. Her overarching objective is to understand human and ecosystem health risk associated with organic contaminants in water and to identify particular compounds of concern that should be prioritized for remediation and toxicological investigation.