Tag: Agilent Ultivo

PFAS in South Africa: Should We Be Worried?

Imagine a chemical so persistent that it resists breaking down in the environment, earning it the nickname “forever chemical.” Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are just that—synthetic compounds found in everyday items like non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foams. While their durability made them industrial favourites, this same resilience has led to widespread environmental contamination. In South Africa, the presence of PFAS in water sources is becoming an increasing concern, prompting questions about their impact on health and the environment.

Unpacking the PFAS puzzle

PFAS have been linked to various health issues, including hormonal disruptions, immune system effects, and certain cancers. Their ability to accumulate in the human body and the environment makes them particularly worrisome. In South Africa, studies have detected PFAS in water sources, raising alarms about potential exposure. However, detecting and analysing these compounds is no simple task. Their chemical stability and low concentrations in environmental samples pose significant challenges for laboratories, necessitating advanced analytical techniques and instruments.

 

🖥️ Watch the Analysis of PFAS in the Food Chain webinar and explore the latest advancements in sample preparation for PFAS determination.

 

 

The analytical challenge of PFAS detection

Traditional analytical methods often fall short when it comes to detecting the vast array of PFAS compounds, especially at trace levels. Non-targeted analysis (NTA) and suspect screening have emerged as crucial approaches, allowing scientists to identify both known and unknown PFAS compounds in various matrices. However, these methods require high-resolution mass spectrometry and sophisticated data analysis capabilities. In South Africa, the adoption of such advanced techniques is still in its nascent stages, highlighting the need for enhanced laboratory infrastructure and expertise to effectively monitor and manage PFAS contamination.

 

📚 Download the Streamlined PFAS Annotation and Visualisation with FluoroMatch Flow and Visualiser poster and explore how unidentified organofluorine chemicals account for a significant percentage of organofluorine content in food contact material samples.

 

Enhanced detection

The Agilent Ultivo LC/MS system offers a compact yet powerful solution for PFAS analysis. Designed for high-throughput laboratories, it combines sensitivity and robustness, making it ideal for detecting low levels of PFAS in complex environmental samples.

 

Key benefits:

  • Compact Design: Saves valuable laboratory space without compromising performance.
  • High Sensitivity: Detects trace levels of PFAS, ensuring accurate quantification.ScienceDirect
  • Robust Performance: Handles complex matrices with minimal maintenance requirements.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies operation and data analysis, reducing training time.

 

Chemetrix provides comprehensive support for the Ultivo LC/MS, including installation, training, and maintenance services, ensuring laboratories can maximise the instrument’s capabilities.

 

Comprehensive analysis

For laboratories seeking advanced capabilities, the Agilent 6546 LC/Q-TOF system offers high-resolution mass spectrometry for both targeted and non-targeted PFAS analysis. Its accurate mass measurements and fast acquisition rates enable the identification of a wide range of PFAS compounds, including emerging contaminants.

 

Key benefits:

  • High-Resolution Detection: Accurately identifies and quantifies known and unknown PFAS compounds.
  • Fast Acquisition Rates: Enhances throughput, allowing for the analysis of more samples in less time.
  • Advanced Data Analysis: Facilitates complex data interpretation with integrated software tools.
  • Versatility: Suitable for various applications, from environmental monitoring to product safety assessments.

 

Chemetrix offers expert guidance and technical support to integrate the 6546 LC/Q-TOF into laboratory workflows, ensuring optimal performance and data quality.

 

Building a safer future

By adopting advanced analytical instruments like the Agilent Ultivo LC/MS and 6546 LC/Q-TOF, South African laboratories can significantly enhance their PFAS detection capabilities. These tools not only improve the accuracy and efficiency of analyses but also empower scientists to better understand and mitigate the risks associated with PFAS contamination. With Chemetrix as a trusted partner, laboratories gain access to cutting-edge technology and dedicated support, fostering a proactive approach to environmental health and safety.

 

🖥️ Watch the Effective Use of ‘Direct-Injection’ Techniques webinar to explore streamlined workflows and expert strategies for more efficient, compliant bioanalysis.

 

 

Partner with Chemetrix for PFAS solutions

Addressing the challenges posed by PFAS requires collaboration, innovation, and the right tools. Chemetrix is committed to supporting South African laboratories in their efforts to detect, analyse, and manage PFAS contamination. Contact Chemetrix today to learn more about our solutions and how we can assist your laboratory in safeguarding public health and the environment.

Combating PFAS ‘The Forever Chemical’ Contamination

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s due to their useful properties. There are thousands of different PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others.

Nothing about PFAS – from how they are made, to their unique characteristics, to how they need to be analysed – is easy. These chemicals were developed to simplify our lives, but now decades later, they have become a serious problem due to their elusive and persistent nature, hence the nickname ‘The Forever Chemical.’ What is clear is that PFAS contamination is an environmental and growing health issue, but what is less clear is how to address and manage this issue.

 

The importance of PFAS

PFAS are important because they have been widely used in industry and manufacturing due to their unique chemical properties; properties that make them heat-resistant, able to repel water, and close to indestructible. PFAS compounds have been used in many applications such as non-stick cookware, stain-repellent clothes, food contact materials, detergents, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams.

The unfortunate consequence of PFAS

For many years, PFAS were thought to be inert and nontoxic and were extensively used with little thought for environmental disposal or ecological impact. It was not until early this century that the extent of PFAS global contamination was first realised. There are over 4000 PFAS compounds thought to have been manufactured and are now potentially in the environment globally.

The research on PFAS compounds has identified them as being persistent and bio accumulative, and their widespread use has led to them being almost ubiquitous in the environment. Because PFAS do not break down, they enter the environment through production or waste streams. In South Africa, the presence of PFAS has been detected in some water sources, including rivers and dams.

“PFAS are a new style of pollutants that don’t follow the ‘rules’ of traditional organic pollutants. This is why regulators and scientists, unfortunately, failed to predict how these chemicals would move through the environment, and why we now have a serious problem of such widespread PFAS contamination of drinking water, agricultural land, and the domestic environment.”

– Bradley Clarke, senior lecturer in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science, at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and an Agilent collaborator.

 

PFAS exposure and human health

People can be exposed to low levels of PFAS compounds through consumer products that contain PFAS, for example, carpets, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging materials, and non-stick cookware. Drinking water can also be a source of exposure in communities where these chemicals have contaminated water supplies, such as an industrial facility where PFAS were produced, or used to manufacture other products, or an oil refinery, airfield or other location at which PFAS may have been used for firefighting.

Download our eBook Guide to Targeted Quantification and Screening of PFAS Compounds in Environmental Matrices >

Helping scientists learn more about PFAS

PFAS contamination is a complex issue. While knowledge about PFAS compounds and their potential health effects has grown, many questions remain unanswered. It’s also a global issue and collaborative research allows countries to share knowledge, best practices, and effective solutions.

Watch our webinar on Strategies to Optimise Performance of PFAS Analysis >

Committed to helping scientists and regulators around the world solve these water issues to provide safe and sustainable water sources for everyone, Agilent has recently developed a protocol for the analysis of PFASs in drinking water using the Agilent Ultivo triple quadrupole LC/MS. Working with leading researchers around the world, Agilent has also developed a method for extracting PFASs in drinking water using Agilent Offline Solid Phase Extraction and an Agilent LC/MS/MS system with a PFAS-free 1290 Infinity II LC System.

Agilent Ultivo LC/MSMS

 

Agilent 1290 Infinity II 2D-LC System

 

Providing scientists with measurement and identification technology solutions to accurately analyze PFAS chemicals in water is a critical first step for estimating human exposure and potential risk. Robust analytical techniques that can provide unbiased quantitative and qualitative data on these PFAS pollutants at trace levels are necessary for further understanding their environmental fate, ecological impacts, and impacts on public health. These analytical techniques and the fundamental data they generate will allow scientists and regulators to make informed assessments of PFAS use in modern society.

Watch our webinar on The PFAS Lab of the Future >

Although PFAS research on the African continent is not extensive as yet, the growing awareness and need to understand these chemicals for policy and regulation is necessary. As an analytical instrument supplier and solutions provider for laboratories, Chemetrix is committed to helping combat the “Forever Chemical” challenge.

Parts of this article have been adapted from the original published by Agilent.