Perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), also known as Forever Chemicals, are man-made chemicals whose use began in the 1940’s and were used in several areas such as non-stick pans and firefighting foams due to their high stability and low tension properties. It wasn’t until the 2000’s that it was realized these substances are harmful to those who have received exposure. While these chemicals are no longer being manufactured, due to their slow breakdown, they can still be found throughout the environment, including in drinking water. While the contamination is generally minimal, areas where these chemicals were in high use tend to have higher contamination levels than elsewhere.

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Risks

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Due to these chemicals being synthetic with their high stability and not being found in nature, they take more time to break down and can build up in the body's system. While research studies are still being done on their long-term effects, they have been connected to several health risks including cancer.

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The EPA Limit in Drinking Water for PFOA is 0.004ppt and for PFOS it is 0.02 ppt.

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In Essence, the EPA Wants the Limits to be as Close to Zero as Possible, due to how Dangerous these Compounds are.

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Enalytic can offer analysis on a number of matrices. We can develop methods for analysis where one does not exist.

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Some of the Many Compounds we can Test for Include the Following:

1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2FTS)

1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2FTS)

1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2FTS)

N-ethylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamidoacetic acid (EtFOSAA)

N-methylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamidoacetic acid (MeFOSAA)

Perfluoro-1-butanesulfonic acid (PFBS)

Perfluoro-1-decanesulfonic acid (PFDS)

Perfluoro-1-heptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)

Perfluoro-1-nonanesulfonic acid (PFNS)

Perfluoro-1-octanesulfonamide (PFOSA)

Perfluoro-1-pentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)

Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)

Perfluoro-n-butanoic acid (PFBA)

Perfluoro-n-decanoic acid (PFDA)

Perfluoro-n-dodecanoic acid (PFDoA)

Perfluoro-n-heptanoic acid (PFHpA)

Perfluoro-n-hexanoic acid (PFHxA)

Perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA)

Perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA)

Perfluoro-n-pentanoic acid (PFPeA)

Perfluoro-n-tetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA)

Perfluoro-n-tridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)

Perfluoro-n-undecanoic acid (PFUdA)

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)

Potassium 11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonate (11Cl-PF3OUdS)

Potassium 9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonate (9Cl-PF3ONS)

Sodium dodecafluoro-3H-4, 8-dioxanonanoate (NaDONA)

Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA)

Perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA)

Perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA)

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How to Avoid Them

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It’s impossible to completely stay away from these Forever Chemicals since they are everywhere; however, if there is a concern of excessive exposure, understanding where it came from can assist you in avoiding continued exposure.

 

If you feel like this may be a concern, please give us a call and we’ll assist you in every way we can!

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Call us at 315-437-0255 or email us at support@enalytic.com.