One Scientist Thinking Ahead for the Environment

CUSTOMER STORY How One Scientist is Thinking Ahead for the Environment Developing methods for PFAS monitoring Predicting the long-term impact some substances have on human health and the environment is extremely difficult - chemicals can be safe in the manufactured form or even after rigorous testing, but decades-long testing is not possible. In some instances, we only become aware of the toxic impact that some substances and chemicals can have on humans and the environment after they have been widely used. Recently, PFAS have become more recognized as this type of chemical. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) can be found in nonstick frying pans, waterrepellent sports gear, stain-resistant rugs and countless other consumer products. Their chemical bonds are so strong they either don't degrade at all or do so extremely slowly in the environment and remain in a person’s bloodstream indefinitely. The science is still catching up to these substances and many scientists are working to understand how to measure and filtrate PFAS in vital resources such as drinking water. Dr. Emanuela Gionfriddo, Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo in Ohio U.S., is one of those scientists. “Our work uses microextraction probes to sample organic molecules (e.g. environmental contaminants, toxins, metabolites) in heterogeneous environmental and biological systems,” she says. “We are also exploring the use of new materials for selective extraction of perfluorinated alkyl substances. My research program lies at the interface between environmental monitoring, public health, separation science, materials synthesis, and mass spectrometry.” Emanuela Gionfriddo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor at University of Toledo, OH For a complete listing of our global offices, visit www.perkinelmer.com/ContactUs Copyright ©2021, PerkinElmer, Inc. All rights reserved. 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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 453811 PKI PerkinElmer, Inc. 940 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451 USA P: (800) 762-4000 or (+1) 203-925-4602 www.perkinelmer.com How One Scientist is Thinking Ahead for the Environment As a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, Gionfriddo focuses on developing analytical tools that can detect and quantify substances like PFAS. “I believe that the spread of environmental contaminants is one of the most concerning issues nowadays and it’s a very important field of research that needs to be pursued to minimize pollution or mitigate its effects,” she says. “From the analytical point of view, it is critical developing methods that are robust and accurate enough to detect and quantify emerging contaminants and their degradation products in a variety of samples, from water to soil and biota.” Emerging contaminants are chemicals that are not currently (or have been only recently) regulated and about which there are ongoing concerns regarding their impact on human or ecological health. In November 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will be taking actions to “limit pollution from a cluster of long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS that are increasingly turning up in public drinking water systems, private wells, and even food.” When any pollutant or contaminant begins to be regulated, a standardized system needs to be put in place to monitor that chemical’s levels in places like drinking water. Dr. Gionfriddo’s work ensures there are sound tests and systems in place that allow the monitoring agency to put those regulations in place. Similar to how we test for contaminants like lead in our water, we can put rules in place that would test it for PFAS as well. “My research team was able to develop various methods for analysis of emerging contaminants, in particular, we achieved low part per trillion limits of detection for PFAS,” says Gionfriddo. “We use solid-phase microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography laminar flow tandem mass spectrometry to do this and we were also able to develop an analytical set up for the minimization of transient microenvironments for analysis of environmental contaminants via ambient ionization.” These types of analysis take analytical instrumentation firepower, and Gionfriddo has found using the PerkinElmer QSight® 200 and the LC 300 with SimplicityChrom™ software beneficial to accomplishing her work. “I started working with the PerkinElmer team during my postdoctoral studies at the University of Waterloo,” she says. “That collaboration grew once I moved to the University of Toledo when we acquired the QSight 200 that boosted our research productivity and helped us to achieve our goals.” “Recently, I also equipped my lab with the new LC 300. I selected this instrumentation for the high level of reliability, robustness, and analytical performance.” In the future, Gionfriddo plans to extend her research into the analysis of emerging contaminants in biota (i.e., flora and fauna) and examine what exposure will do to human health in the long term. “My team and I had an impressive experience with the PerkinElmer service and sales team,” she says. “I envision continuing this collaboration and possibly acquire other instrumentation to complement what is already available in the lab.”