I’d like to extend my gratitude to ALGA and its members for their continued interest and support in my research. It consistently serves as a resounding reminder of the broad implications this research has. As I mentioned in December last year, my research aims to develop a non-target analysis (NTA) workflow for the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in both environmental and biological samples. Ultimately, this workflow will be combined with current routine analysis, and together will help us to further understand the current human body burden of legacy, emerging, and novel PFAS.
Currently, I’m working towards the culmination of two studies, the first is testing the feasibility of microsampling devices to be used within the home for blood PFAS analysis. This study aims to provide the foundation for a robust, postal-based blood PFAS test. The second study I’m working on, is with a working group named Best Practices for Non-Targeted Analysis (BP4NTA). We have set out to evaluate and compare opensource NTA tools that have been designed for and used in the identification of PFAS. Ultimately, we aim to highlight the strengths of different NTA tools that are currently available and determine ideal workflows for the treatment of high-resolution mass spectrometry data for PFAS analysis.
Both studies are well underway, and I’m currently plugging away at what feels like an endless wave of data!
I’m looking forward to sharing more of my research with you soon!
Jordan Partington
The Australian Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants – The University of Melbourne
