This summary accompanies a recent event produced by Separation Science in collaboration with Waters Corporation.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched Method 1633, a standard that broadens PFAS testing beyond drinking water to include wastewater, groundwater, and fish tissue, covering 40 PFAS compounds. This method employs sophisticated solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques, ensuring ultra-precise detection and quantification down to part-per-trillion levels.
A key innovation in Method 1633 is Section 9.1.2, which introduces a performance-based approach to PFAS analysis. Laboratories can now adapt procedures to address unforeseen situations, provided they document these modifications and demonstrate compliance with the method’s quality control specifications.
Building on this performance-based approach, Jeffrey Smith (Director of Operations, Complete Environmental Testing) embraced an innovative solution from Waters—the Oasis™ line of dual-phase SPE cartridges. This departure from the traditional loose carbon method in EPA 1633 has streamlined PFAS sample preparation in his lab, saving time and facilitating potential automation. Discover why Smith has become a strong advocate for this approach.
Topics covered in this summary include:
- Dual-phase cartridges for PFAS
- WAX/GCB performance in EPA 1633
- PFAS in soil: GCB/WAX performance
- Future directions and analytical challenges
Meet the expert:
Jeffrey Smith
Director of Operations, Complete Environmental Testing (CET)
Jeffrey Smith holds a BS in Chemistry from Quinnipiac University. He has been working in environmental analytical chemistry for 18 years, with experience in several disciplines, including GC/MS and LC-MS/MS. Jeffrey now serves as the director of operations at Complete Environmental Testing. For the past few years, his focus as director has been building the PFAS department at CET from the ground up, including method development and researching LC/MS/MS instrumentation for the laboratory. Jeffrey serves on several PFAS work groups and is an active member of the Reasonable Confidence QA/QC Protocols work group for the state of Connecticut.
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