By CASC4DE September 20, 2024
📍France Info has just published a map of PFAS contamination in 89 tap water samples taken in France. But the 20 molecules analyzed represent only the tip of the iceberg, a small fraction of the total number of existing compounds.
📍There are thousands of other PFASs that escape current targeted analytical approaches, which focus on a restricted set of well-known molecules, with the risk of underestimating the extent of contamination. It is therefore essential to broaden detection tools and explore more global approaches to identify and assess these unsearched compounds, in order to obtain a comprehensive view of the hazards associated with all PFAS.
🔹CASC4DE offers a solution for non-targeted PFAS analysis by fluorine NMR, which makes it possible to respond to this incredible diversity of pollutants and also to the emergence of new molecules. This method, which complements LC-MS, is certainly not suited to trace analysis with current instruments, but it does offer a more global view. It allows us to go beyond PFAS alone by also revealing any fluorinated molecules that may be present, thus offering a better understanding of the extent of environmental contamination.
👀 PFAS Described as “eternal pollutants” due to their persistence in the environment, accumulation in the food chain and effects on human and animal health, PFAS are omnipresent in our daily lives. Manufactured by man, used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s, they provide non-stick, waterproof, water-repellent and heat-resistant properties. They are widely used in the manufacture of non-stick cookware (frying pans, etc.), food packaging, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, certain cosmetics and fire-fighting foams…
Read the survey from Anne-Laure Barral for Radio France investigation unit:
Illustration credit to Nicolas Dewit / RadioFrance