Detection methods for sub-nanogram level of emerging pollutants - Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are organofluorine compounds has been manufactured for more than five decades and used in different purposes. Among persistent organic pollutants, PFAS are toxic, bio-accumulative in humans, wildlife, and global environment. As per environmental protection agency (EPA) guidelines, the perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctane sulfonate permissible limit was 0.07 ng/L in drinking water. When the concentration exceeds the acceptable limit, it has negative consequences for humans. In such a case, PFAS monitoring is critical, and a quick detection technique are highly needed. Health departments and regulatory agencies have interests in monitoring of PFAS presences and exposures. For the detection of PFAS, numerous highly precise and sensitive chromatographic methods are available. However, the drawbacks of analytical techniques include timely sample preparations and the lack of on-site applicability. As a result, there is an increasing demand for simple sensor systems for monitoring of PFAS in real field samples. In this review, we first describe the sample pre-treatment and analytical techniques for the detection of PFAS. Second, we broadly discussed available sensor system for the quantification of PFAS in different filed samples. Finally, future trends in PFASs sensor are also presented.

Automated summary

This article reviews the detection methods of PFAS and introduces sensor systems for the quantification of PFAS in field samples. Future trends in PFAS sensor technology are also presented.