Presentation Profile

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continue to present significant analytical challenges due to the large number of known and unknown fluorinated compounds present in environmental samples. While LC-MS/MS remains the primary tool for targeted PFAS determination, it measures only a limited subset of the fluorinated compounds that may contribute to overall environmental risk, for the current moment. As interest grows in PFAS treatment, destruction technologies, and regulatory compliance, laboratories and facility operators increasingly require complementary methods capable of evaluating total fluorinated contamination.

This presentation explores the use of Adsorbable Organic Fluorine (AOF) and Extractable Organic Fluorine (EOF) as screening parameters for monitoring PFAS contamination and assessing treatment effectiveness in environmental waters and complex waste streams. It focuses on how fluorine mass-balance approaches can provide a more comprehensive understanding of PFAS occurrence than targeted analysis alone. Topics include separation of inorganic fluoride from organically bound fluorine, sample preparation workflows, pyrohydrolytic combustion, molecular absorption spectrometry, and current standard methodologies such as EPA Method 1621. Real-world examples will demonstrate how AOF and EOF measurements can be applied alongside targeted PFAS methods to support treatment verification, source identification, and environmental monitoring programs.