Tag: Consumer Products

Detecting PFAS and Other ‘Forever Chemicals’ in SA’s Textiles

Festive fashion, hidden risks

With the holiday season fast approaching, South Africans are gearing up for warm-weather celebrations, stocking up on water-repellent jackets, quick-dry swimwear and stain-resistant tablecloths. But behind the seasonal sparkle lies a silent concern: PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

 

 

Nicknamed “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breakdown, PFAS are commonly used in textiles to enhance durability and repel liquids. However, their environmental persistence and health risks, ranging from hormonal disruption to cancer, have made them a growing concern worldwide.

 

As international regulations tighten, textile retailers, importers and labs in South Africa must prepare to detect and manage PFAS contamination.

🖥️ Watch the Analysis of PFAS: Strategies to Optimise Performance webinar and explore the biggest challenges currently in the analysis of PFAS.

 

Why is PFAS detection in textiles so difficucon

Detecting PFAS in fabric isn’t like testing for surface-level contaminants. These chemicals can:
  • Be present in ultra-trace amounts
  • Be embedded in complex synthetic fibres
  • Require extensive and delicate preparation before testing

 

 

Traditional methods rely heavily on manual prep, increasing the risk of human error. For busy labs and testing facilities, especially in high-demand seasons, this leads to:
  • Delays in turnaround times
  • Inconsistent results
  • Potential non-compliance with regulations

 

📚 Explore the PFAS Analysis in Environmental Samples Ordering Guide, your go-to resource for selecting the right consumables for your PFAS environmental testing needs.

 

Automation is transforming textile PFAS testing

Forward-looking labs are turning to automation to solve these pain points. By integrating Agilent’s LC/MS instruments with Raykol’s automated SPE (Solid Phase Extraction) systems, labs can drastically improve their efficiency and precision.

Benefits of this approach include:
  • Faster processing of large sample volumes
  • Minimised manual intervention
  • Higher consistency and reproducibility
  • Freed-up lab staff for data analysis rather than repetitive prep tasks
This workflow is especially valuable during South Africa’s high-spend festive months, where time and accuracy are critical.

 

How does Raykol’s automated SPE system improve sample prep?

Sample preparation is often the most manual and error-prone stage of PFAS testing. Raykol’s Fotector SPE platform automates this process, reducing variability and increasing throughput.

Key benefits of Raykol’s system include:
  • Reduced contamination risk from human handling
  • Faster preparation times for large volumes
  • Seamless compatibility with LC/MS workflows
  • Improved repeatability and lab efficiency

 

RayKol’s Fotector series Automated Solid Phase Extraction Systems

 

🔍 Explore RayKol’s Fotector series Automated Solid Phase Extraction Systems, designed to meet the requirements of large-scale sample preparation in modern testing laboratories

 

Agilent LC/MS: Trusted precision for PFAS detection

Agilent’s Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) systems are purpose-built to detect ultra-low concentrations of PFAS in even the most complex textile materials.

These platforms help labs:
  • Comply with global regulations (e.g. EU REACH, US EPA, SAICM)
  • Process large test batches without compromising accuracy
  • Stay competitive by delivering reliable, compliant results on time

 

Agilent 6495C LC/MSMS

 

PFAS testing protects more than compliance

While regulation is a key driver, the real value of PFAS detection goes beyond ticking boxes. South African retailers and importers who adopt rigorous testing practices also gain:
  • Consumer trust during peak sales seasons
  • Brand differentiation as safety-conscious and transparent
  • Supply chain resilience against new international bans or restrictions
  • Preparedness for the expanding global push toward PFAS elimination

 

Case in point: A South African home textile importer recently adopted Agilent + Raykol systems and achieved a 60% reduction in turnaround time, enabling full compliance with updated EU restrictions before they took effect.

🔍 Explore Agilent’s PFAS Testing Kits for Environmental Analysis, a comprehensive portfolio of environmental PFAS testing kits designed to comply with stringent testing methods.

 

What’s next? Build a smarter PFAS detection strategy

PFAS are here, regulations are rising, and expectations around chemical safety are increasing fast. Now’s the time to modernise your PFAS testing workflows with automation and precision analytics.

Make your lab smarter, faster, and fully compliant – before it’s mandatory.

 

🖥️ Watch the Simultaneous Measurement of PFAS Compounds in the Environment webinar and discover a robust and sensitive method for the simultaneous quantitation of 53 legacy and new, emerging PFAS covering 14 compounds classes.

1,4-Dioxane in Consumer Products

1,4-Dioxane is an industrial chemical contaminant that is of concern even at trace levels in consumer products. Government jurisdictions are beginning to regulate the amount of 1,4-dioxane allowed in consumer products globally. It has already been banned and deemed unsafe in cosmetics in Canada, and it is a regulated substance in Europe. The allowable concentrations in the United States are expected to vary from state to state, typically at part per billion to low part per million levels. There have been several methods developed to test for 1,4-dioxane, but none of these methods are adequate to detect 1,4-dioxane in consumer products with complex mixtures and solutions.  A method for the high-sensitivity detection of 1-4-Dioxane was developed on the Agilent 8890B/7000 GC/QQQ triple quadrupole in Electron Ionization (EI) mode.  The extraction was performed using an Agilent PAL3 autosampler with solid phase microextraction (SPME) tool. The GC was configured with a 30 m DB-8270D column and a 1 m deactivated fused silica column using a purged ultimate union. The advantage of using a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer is that a selective precursor to product ion transition is generated, minimizing interferences. Analysis time was less than 15 minutes. Calibration curves using 9 levels from 0.1 ng/g (ppb) to 400.0 ng/g (ppb) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) Electron Ionization with an R2 value of 0.999.  Low detection limits, necessary for these pernicious compounds, were also achieved.

 

 What you will learn

•    The application of the Evosep One chromatography system to high-throughput analysis of large cohorts.
•    How there is a growing demand for high throughput and standardized workflows to allow  the  analysis of increasingly large cohorts of samples for proteomic research
•    How high sensitivity is achieved for the accurate measurement of low abundant biomarkers
•    How the Evotip was designed to improve efficiency and recovery associated with sample purification and loading ahead of MS analysis.

 

Speaker

Ron Honnold
Application Scientist
Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Ron Honnold, Ph.D. is an Applications Scientist in the Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group (LSAG) at Agilent Technologies; Santa Clara, CA. Ron is an experienced analytical chemist and mass spectrometrist with more than 30 years of experience using state-of-the-art analytical systems. Currently he is responsible for applications and methods development related to GC-MS products, particularly for single quadrupole (GC/MS), triple quadrupole (GC-MS/MS), and quadrupole time of flight (GC-QTOF). Ron is also a member of the Agilent Cannabis Task Group focusing on pesticides, terpenes, and residual solvents.

 

Simon Jones
GC Applications Engineer/Scientist
Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Simon Jones has over 23 years of GC experience. For the last 15 years, he has been with Agilent as a GC applications engineer/scientist based out of the GC column manufacturing facility in Folsom California. In his roles he has assisted with application development, troubleshooting chromatographic issues, and assisting with instrument configurations. Prior to joining Agilent in 2005, he worked in an analytical lab for the power industry, developing and optimizing testing methodologies for insulating fluids and materials in transformers.

 

Register and watch on demand >

 

Final Products | Consumer Products

Accurately detecting harmful contaminants in consumer products is essential for manufacturers to ensure consumer safety and comply with worldwide regulations. As the rules governing the use of metals and plastics in manufacturing continue to grow and develop, there is also an increasing emphasis on sensitive and specific detection of harmful contaminants in these materials.

 

Resources

Analysis of Fluorescent Brighteners in Masks

Application Note

Determination of Aromatic Amines Derived from Azo Colorants by GC/MS

Application Note

Accurate Analysis of Trace Mercury in Cosmetics using the Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ

Application Note

The Development of Standard Methods Relating to Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ) and How to Comply With Them

Application Note