Development of Simultaneous Analytical Methods of 37 PFAS in Drinking Water and Sediment Samples

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that exhibit various physicochemical characteristics, making it difficult to analyze many PFAS simultaneously. In this study, the simultaneous analytical methods of 37 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including the PFAS alternative compounds Gen-X, ADONA, Major F53B, Minor F53B, and precursors FOSA, FOSAA, MeFOSAA, EtFOSAA, n:2 FTUA, n:3 FTCA, and n:2 FTS in drinking water and sediment samples were developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on the Korean persistent organic pollutants (POPs) standard method. The water samples were extracted using a WAX cartridge by solid-phase extraction, while the sediment samples were extracted by ultrasonic extraction. The accuracy and precision satisfied the values of 50.7–118% and 0.01–8.5%, respectively, with a method detection limit of 0.12–1.36 ng/L. The PFAS analytical method for sediment samples was modified based on the Korean standard analytical method for persistent organic pollutants. The accuracy and precision of the 37 target PFAS ranged from 63% to 129% and 0.6% to 11.7%, respectively, with method detection limits of 0.03–1.94 ng/g in sediment. Satisfactory results were obtained for water samples using the current Korean standard analytical method for POPs. Meanwhile, for sediment samples, owing to the poor results obtained for the two compounds, the method was modified.