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New PFAS testing method could make water testing more affordable, portable and accessible

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2024-11-07 00:00:09

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have discovered a new way to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. This marks an important step forward in creating testing devices that are simpler, more cost-effective, faster and generally more accessible than existing methods.

These chemicals persist in the environment because they resist breaking down and pose significant health threats. Exposure to these chemicals is linked to various cancers (including kidney, testicular, breast, ovarian, prostate, thyroid and childhood leukemia), liver and heart damage, and developmental damage to infants and children.

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever national safety standard for PFAS in drinking water at 4 ppt. "PPT—that means parts per trillion. 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," explains Chang Liu, associate professor of biomedical engineering at UMass Amherst and corresponding author of the paper published in the journal Science Advances that describes their new method.

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