Analysis of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates in environmental water by in-port arylation gas chromatography-electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry.

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants that have been used for various purposes. Although PFAS can pollute the environment in a variety of areas related to the use, storage, and disposal of their products, there are insufficient data on the extent of PFAS pollution outside industrialized countries with their manufacturing facilities. Most of the analyses depend on high-cost liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In this study, we established a method to analyze ionic PFAS using gas chromatography-electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry with in-port arylation by diaryl iodonium. Extraction of PFAS from water samples was performed using solid phase extraction with reverse phase sorbent. Fourteen PFAS compounds could be detected from spiked water samples, and the detection limit ranged from 3.1 to 8.1 ng L^-1. Using this method, we analyzed groundwater samples from Okinawa Island, Japan, and detected PFAS up to a total concentration of 1900 ng L^-1. This method uses relatively inexpensive analytical equipment; hence, it can possibly enable surveys on PFAS contaminations in a wide range of regions and opportunities.