At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a new approach to detecting harmful chemicals in our water has emerged. Researchers there have developed a technique for identifying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that could reshape how we monitor water safety. PFAS, known for their persistence in the environment, have been linked to a range of health issues, including cancers and developmental damage in infants and children. This development is significant for those monitoring public health and environmental conservation efforts.
The announcement by
UMass Amherst
comes in the wake of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) introduction of the first-ever national safety standard for PFAS in drinking water, which is 4 parts per trillion (ppt). Luminary in this field, Chang Liu, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at UMass Amherst and corresponding author of the study, explained the precision of the new standard and the need for more effective testing methods, “That means in a trillion molecules in water, only 4 molecules are PFAS. And then we need to be able to detect even those few.”
Current gold-standard techniques like liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry are expensive, non-portable, and over time can have their sensitivity lessened due to PFAS residues. As Xiaojun Wei, first author of the paper and a research assistant professor at
UMass Amherst
, pointed out, a new method was clearly needed. Their groundbreaking work has led to the development of an innovative and more affordable detection method that could offer wider accessibility for on-site testing.
This new method leverages a molecule called cyclodextrin within a small device often used for DNA sequencing, known as a nanopore. “We’re bringing the cost of the instrument from the scale of a million dollars to a few thousand,” Liu stated, acknowledging the vast potential of their work to expand PFAS testing capabilities, in a statement obtained by
UMass Amherst
. However, consistent with the nature of an initial proof-of-concept, the researchers note that their device does not match the current mass spectrometry in terms of sensitivity or range of detectable PFAS types. Despite its limitations, the university team envisions this technology, being a potent screening tool to flag water supplies that may pose the greatest risks.
The implications of this research extend far beyond the scientific community, as Liu hopes their efforts will increase public awareness of PFAS dangers and eventually result in a commercially available portable PFAS detector for water monitoring in diverse environments. According to their published paper in the journal Science Advances, the technique can detect PFAS at levels as low as 400 ppt.
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