The Use of a Non-Targeted Approach for Characterizing PFAS in Consumer Products

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment
Poster Presentation

Prepared by J. Thorn
Eurofins Lancaster laboratories Environmental Testing, LLC, 2425 New Holland Pike, Lancaster, PA, 17607, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 781-710-9664

ABSTRACT

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used in a variety of consumer products, including, but not limited to cleaning products, non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, stain resistant clothing and carpeting, as well as personal care products and cosmetics. Estimates suggest that there are nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals that can be classified as PFAS. These PFAS compounds can be divided up into two main categories, polymer and non-polymer PFAS. With increasing regulation of PFAS in consumer products, the need for testing has expanded exponentially. With that need for testing, it important to understand what the results of each testing method provide to the end user. For this discussion, results are limited to Total Organic Fluorine (TOF), Adsorbable Organic Fluorine (AOF), and Extractable Organic Fluorine (EOF) by Combustion Ion Chromatography (CIC).
Discussion will include data from TOF, AOF, and EOF, consumer product samples. Potential false positives, inflated PFAS results due to additional fluorinated compounds included in results, polymeric versus non-polymeric data in the results, and other method specific results are included in the discussion.