5.1 This test method has been developed by the US EPA Region 5 Chicago Regional Laboratory (CRL).

5.2 PFCs are widely used in various industrial and commercial products; they are persistent, bio-accumulative, and ubiquitous in the environment. PFCs have been reported to exhibit developmental toxicity, hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and hormone disturbance. A draft Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is available.6 PFCs have been detected in soils, sludges, surface, and drinking waters. Hence, there is a need for quick, easy, and robust method to determine these compounds at trace levels in water matrices for understanding of the sources and pathways of exposure.

5.3 This method has been investigated for use with reagent, surface, sludge and wastewaters for selected perfluorinated compounds.

1.1 This procedure covers the determination of selected perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in a water matrix using liquid chromatography (LC) and detection with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). These analytes are qualitatively and quantitatively determined by this method. This method adheres to multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry.

1.2 The Method Detection Limit (MDL)2 and Reporting Range3 for the target analytes are listed in Table 1.

1.2.1 The reporting limit in this test method is the minimum value below which data are documented as non-detects. Analyte detections between the method detection limit and the reporting limit are estimated concentrations and are not reported following this test method. In most cases, the reporting limit is the concentration of the Level 1 calibration standard as shown in Table 4 for the perfluorinated compounds after taking into account the 50 % dilution with methanol. It is above the Level 1 calibration concentration for PFOS, PFBS, FHEA and FOEA, these compounds can be identified at the Level 1 concentration but the standard deviation among replicates at this lower spike level resulted in a higher reporting limit.

1.3 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.