Link to register: go.illinois.edu/pfas-challenges
Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected in various matrices, from drinking water supplies, wastewater, soil, humans, to fish and wildlife. Comprehensive and reliable analytical methods that are applicable in multiple environmental media are lacking. Regulating the levels of PFAS in the environment has become challenging because prioritization of PFAS for monitoring and control has not been fully established for many or the most frequently detected PFAS due to limitations in current analytical methods. Sampling and separation methods have severely limited our ability to comprehensively identify and accurately quantify PFAS contaminants in the environment, especially those emerging PFAS that are either highly polar or volatile. Nontarget analysis employing high-resolution liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is one of the key approaches for tackling the daunting task of identifying unknown environmental contaminants. However, annotation of small molecules and identification of unknowns based only on elemental composition and mass fragmentation patterns remain to be major challenges in nontarget analysis. This presentation will highlight examples of the challenges and potential solutions in PFAS analysis, ranging from matrix effects, ionization efficiencies, extraction, separation, quantification, and unknown identification in complex environmental matrices, especially the short-chain PFAS. I will also present applications of other analytical tools in our biodegradation studies, such as ion mobility separation for identification of PFAS metabolites.
Biography: Diana Aga, PhD, is the Henry Woodburn Professor of Chemistry and a SUNY Distinguished Professor at UB, where she also serves as the Director of RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water) Institute. An analytical chemist, her research involves studying the fate, transport, effects, and treatment of chemicals of emerging concern and persistent organic pollutants in the environment, including the so called “Forever Chemicals” or PFAS. She is also investigating factors that promote emergence of antibiotic resistance, such as the exacerbating impacts of climate change. Additionally, Dr. Aga evaluates the bioaccumulation and toxicity of environmental contaminants in humans, fish, and wildlife. Recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Aga has received the National Science Foundation CAREER award; the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellowship; 2 Fulbright Fellowships; and, the Menzie Environmental Education Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the recipient of the Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal by the Western New York Section of the ACS. At UB, she was awarded the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award (2013), the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities (2019), and was the Inaugural Honoree of the CAS Spotlight Symposium in 2024.
Link to register: go.illinois.edu/pfas-challenges