New PFAS chemicals discovered in New Jersey soils

Fireside Chats with Craig Butt

Over 5,000 compounds in the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) family have been used in commerce. Many variations, used primarily as processing aids for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), have been detected in New Jersey soils by US EPA researchers.

26/05/2023 | John Washington

US EPA scientists have pinpointed a new classification of PFAS—chlorinated polyfluorinated polyether compounds—which were found in soils at an industrial manufacturing site in New Jersey. To identify these new PFAS compounds, scientists conducted a detective-worthy investigation using non-targeted analytical methods. One effective technique was an iterative process that used mass spectrometry and continual retesting of soil samples for the most common fragments.

  • “What other PFAS are out there in the environment, and could humans and wildlife be potentially exposed to these novel PFAS?”

    Craig Butt asks Dr. John Washington

Craig Butt, PhD

Senior Staff Scientist, Food/Environmental, Global Technical Marketing
SCIEX

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