4.1 This guide provides an overview of analytical methods, techniques, and procedures that may be used when determining the presence of PFAS in consumer and related products. This guide does not specify which analytical methods, sample preparation techniques, or procedures apply to any given product.

4.2 This guide provides considerations that are relevant to selecting and applying methods, techniques, and procedures to analyze PFAS. Various limitations, benefits, and challenges of published analytical methods and non-standard analytical approaches are also included.

4.2.1 A variety of analytical methods, techniques, and procedures are presented in this guide. Not all methods presented in this guide have been validated on all types of materials that are used in consumer or related products, or their components. Many test methods were developed and recommended for environment samples. Additional details are available in Guide E3302. This guide recommends that its users must verify that their chosen test method meets the appropriate criteria to use on the intended product samples.

4.2.2 Some analytical methods identify and quantify specific PFAS target analytes. The user must verify that a test method is capable of measuring specific PFAS. This guide recommends and provides considerations for the user to implement when selecting the appropriate analytical procedures.

4.2.3 Other analytical methods evaluate a broad group of PFAS analytes in products. These methods do not target specific PFAS. Instead, these methods may measure total fluorine content, total extractable or absorbable organic fluorine compounds, or inorganic fluorine compounds. These methods are imperfect proxies that provide an estimate for total PFAS in a product. Applying these methods can overestimate the PFAS content of a product or even yield false positive results for PFAS.

4.2.4 When applying a specific analytical method, the user should consider the scope, limitations, and experiences others may have had using the method. The user should confirm that the method identifies or quantifies PFAS to meet their testing objectives.

4.2.5 This guide compares published analytical methods and approaches for PFAS. A tabular comparison of target analytes lists and method features is included to aid users to select and apply analytical methods and techniques for their specific applications.

Note 1: New methods or variations of existing methods are emerging to analyze the range of different types of product samples. For this reason, this guide may not include all methods and techniques currently published.

4.3 The guide also provides detailed information and considerations for the user to select samples and preparation techniques to apply when evaluating PFAS in products.

4.3.1 Note that the type of sample and the way it is prepared can significantly impact the ability to detect, identify, and quantify PFAS in different types of materials used in products.

4.3.2 These preparation techniques include both sample preparation and extraction. Preparation means preparing the sample into a form that allows analyzing for the testing objectives. Extraction means removing some part or form of the product that further allows an analysis against the testing objectives.

4.4 This guide is not intended to replace or supersede federal, state, local, or international regulatory requirements. Instead, this guide may be used to complement and support such requirements.

4.5 The users of this guide should consider assembling a team of experienced professionals with appropriate expertise to scope, plan, and execute PFAS sampling and analytical activities.

4.6 Table 1 provides an overview of this guide by numbered section.

1.1 This guide provides recommendations to select, apply, and interpret available preparatory and analytical methods and techniques to identify and quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in different types of products, including consumer products and related products.

1.1.1 This guide differs from Guide E3302 in that it addresses PFAS in consumer and related products while Guide E3302 addresses PFAS in environmental matrices such as drinking water, non-potable water, soil/sediment, and air.

1.2 This guide provides a flexible, defensible framework applicable to a wide range of product disclosures and restrictions. This framework can be considered when creating regulations and standards to address PFAS in consumer and related products. However, this guide does not set criteria for acceptable concentration limits. This guide recognizes that multiple regulatory agencies can be involved in overseeing and establishing acceptable concentration limits in specific products or product categories.

1.3 This guide is structured to support decisions for choosing sampling, preparatory, and analytical methods, procedures, and techniques to evaluate PFAS in consumer and related products.

1.3.1 This guide uses the term PFAS in a method-defined context. That is, the list of target analytes or broad group of analytes depends on the respective PFAS sampling and analytical methods or approaches. Fig. 4 and Appendix X1 provide more information about various ways PFAS have been defined.

1.4 This guide also establishes how analytical information may be used to assess exposures. This guide elaborates on the potential application of preconditioning, extracting, leaching, and off-gassing techniques to determine the potential release of PFAS from products over the product life cycle. This guide is limited in scope to potential PFAS exposure to liquid phases and to air. Users should refer to Guide D8560 for further details to determine PFAS in air (airborne PFAS).

1.5 This guide provides information on the known advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the different referenced preparatory and analytical approaches. New methods and techniques are being developed and optimized rapidly to characterize PFAS in different types of products and their constituent parts.

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

1.7 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, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.8 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.