Researchers at Florida International University have developed a faster way to detect PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, in water. The method cuts testing time from more than six hours to about 30 minutes. The findings were published in the Journal of Chromatography A.
PFAS are linked to serious health problems, including endocrine disruption, immune system impairment and cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently adopted national rules requiring continuous monitoring in public water systems. South Florida’s drinking water comes from the shallow Biscayne Aquifer, which is exposed to runoff from landfills, airports and a military airbase, according to the report.
FIU postdoctoral associate Maria Guerra de Navarro said neither wastewater plants nor drinking water facilities currently treat for PFAS, so contamination moves through the whole water cycle. She said Miami-Dade County monitors groundwater wells every four months and is working to keep wells with higher levels out of the main supply.
The method automates sample cleanup and uses smaller samples and less solvent, which the researchers say lowers the risk of handling errors. It detects 39 of the 40 EPA-listed PFAS compounds. The team left out one compound because including it would have raised detection limits for PFOS and PFAS, the two most regulated chemicals. Associate professor Natalia Quinete called that an unacceptable trade-off.
Before water utilities can use the method, it must be certified through validation studies across several independent laboratories. The team is also developing a simpler test for total PFAS that could process 20 samples a day.
