Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used around the world to make products that resist heat, stains, grease and water. Some of these substances have been found to be toxic and have been linked to various health problems.
Per- & Poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS) are part of a family of synthetic chemicals in the form of long chain compounds, such as Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulfanate (PFOS). Popularly known as ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS are chemically resistant to change, which makes them very difficult to break down. These substances have been used since the 1940s in a variety of consumer products and facilities. Currently, there exists over 4,700 of these fluorine-based compounds in our midst. The compounds are environmentally persistent, mobile and toxic, and are known to impact drinking water.
Ubiquitous in nature with excellent surface-active surfaces, PFAS is present in numerous industrial applications. Some of the industries where PFAS has been identified and found to be prevalent include:
If unchecked and uncontrolled, some of these substances have been linked to health issues including liver damage, kidney cancer, and birth defects. Some of these ‘forever chemicals’ can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time. Due to its inability to break down naturally, PFAS-containing waste materials can remain in the environment for a long time, causing adverse effects.
We provide three multi-laboratory validated quantitative methods for PFAS analysis to identify these forever chemicals. USEPA Method 1633 covers aqueous, solid, biosolids, and tissue samples by LC-MS/MS while USEPA 537.1 and 533 focus on aqueous samples.
Regulations around PFAS (and related chemicals such as PFOAs) remain generally haphazard around the world. In recent years, the EU, US, and Australia began strategic steps to assess the risks of PFAS to human health and the environment. In April 2021, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the EPA Council on PFAS with a goal to strategic protection of public health and environment
from the negative effect of PFAS. In March 2021, a chemical regulation system, UK REACH, was created by the UK government to look at the risks posed by chemicals, including PFAS. Currently, however, PFAS continues to be unregulated in the UK.
Once you’ve taken your sample, contact our team to arrange collection and we’ll deliver the sample to our laboratory.
Samples are prepared and analysed by our team of experts in accordance with the requirements set out by UKAS.
A certificate of analysis will be sent containing the findings from the test carried out. Reports are issued in Excel and PDF, but can also be supplied in other formats.
Our laboratories are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the British, European and International Standard for quality assurance in analytical laboratories – BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Many of the tests we provide are also accredited by UKAS. View the UKAS schedules.
Reports are sent out by Excel and PDF as standard. We can also supply reports in AGS, HWOL (Haz Waste Online), ESdat and CSV if requested.
Yes. When testing for PFAS in water, bottles are specifically prepared for interference free environmental water sample collection. They are made of High-density polyethylene (HDPE) with unlined polypropylene (PP) caps to reduce sources of contamination, and are tested to confirm absence of PFAS compounds.
