DEQ Laboratory Chemistry Fellow
Project Name
Develop and validate LC-MS/MS methods for the determination of PFAS in fish tissue and wastewater by EPA method 1633.
Project Background:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of synthetic organofluorine compounds, which have been widely used in consumer, commercial and industrial products since the 1940s. PFAS are not only extremely resistant to typical degradation pathways, but bioaccumulate in wildlife and humans and have shown to cause reproductive and developmental toxicity in laboratory animals and wildlife.
The prevalence of these compounds in the environment, coupled with their known health impacts, have helped drive the development of analytical methodology (EPA 533 and EPA 537.1) to support recent regulations requiring the monitoring of PFAS in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Recently published EPA Method 1633 is now setting the framework for monitoring and regulations in matrices other than drinking water, such as National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) compliance monitoring in wastewater. EPA is also proposing rule changes to broaden the definition of hazardous waste as it applies to cleanups at permitted hazardous waste facilities, to include compounds of emerging concern, such as PFAS, as well as aiming to amend RCRA regulations to add multiple PFAS compounds as hazardous constituents. Initiatives like these make developing new analytical methods to accurately identify and quantify PFAS a key part of protecting public health and advancing environmental justice.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality laboratory is aiming to establish analytical methods for the analysis of PFAS in critical matrices to better protect communities and the environment from the health risks posed by certain PFAS compounds. The scope of the project includes the planning, development, and validation of the preparatory and analytical methods needed to monitor PFAS in fish tissue and wastewater. These methods will allow the agency to support state and federal regulations and initiatives to limit exposure through monitoring and compliance.
Project Timeline:
Months 1-3:
• Become familiar with facility and staff.
• Understanding of laboratory QA program and accreditation requirements for new methods.
• Familiarization with agency LIMS
• Determine scope of each project and outline needed resources and materials.
• Acquire all needed consumables, reagents, and analytical standards for method development.
• Trained on LC-MS/MS instrumentation, software, and analysis for current PFAS method in
drinking water by EPA method 533 - proficient and confident in chromatographic techniques.
NOTE: Additional training on other LC-MS/MS analyses may be warranted to gain needed
experience in data collection, processing, and reduction.
Months 4-6:
• Instrument methods developed and optimized for all target analytes.
• Trained on tissue preparation (grinding, compositing, and freeze drying).
• Trained on aqueous preparation (solid-phase extraction).
• Extraction procedures developed – sample preparation, solid-phase extraction,
concentration, etc.
• Begin extraction and preparation method development to assess suitability of proposed
methods.
Months 6-12
• Continue method development and troubleshooting.
• Finalize preparation, extraction, clean-up, and analytical methodologies.
• Create technical SOP(s) based on agency templates and accreditation requirements.
• Perform and document full method validations for tissue and wastewater as outlined in the reference method and internal SOP.
• Receive passing results for proficiency test samples from third party vendor (if available).
• Assist in developing agency sampling plans, SAP, QAPP, and sampling considerations to
minimize contamination.
Workgroup:
The Organic Chemistry Section identifies, quantifies, and reports the measurements of Organic constituents in many sample types--water, wastewater, biological tissue, solids (e.g. soils, sediments, and sludges), and air. Through its staff of chemists, the section provides expertise and technical assistance on organic environmental measurements and measurement systems. The section develops analytical methodologies for organic parameters such as Pesticides, Herbicides, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Volatile and Semi-volatile organic compounds, Cyanotoxins, Total Organic Carbon, Chemical Oxygen Demand, and contaminants of emerging concern. It implements a rigorous quality assurance (QA) system to ensure analytical data of known and high quality is delivered to data-users within and external to the Agency.
This work will be performed in the Organic analytical laboratory, which features three LC-MS/MS, one GC-MS/MS, one High-Resolution GC/MS, five GC/MS, a GC-FID, a GC-ECD, and HPLC instruments. Other instrumentation and equipment are available from other sections as needed. Staff have decades of instrument analysis and method development experience to guide as needed. Available resources include access to trainings and seminars, as well as interagency workgroups and technical assistance from federal agencies with shared interests.
Facility:
The LEAD facility located in Hillsboro, Oregon, is a 40,000 square-foot facility which houses Organic and Inorganic analytical chemistry sections, air and water quality field monitoring staff, and data scientists. The Laboratory is accredited for more than 40 analytical methods by The NELAC Institute and EPA, which are used to analyze thousands of samples per year collected by the Air Quality Monitoring and Water Quality Monitoring Sections.
Minium Qualification:
Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or Doctorate degree in Chemistry, Environmental Health, Environmental Science, or closely related field, with a minimum of 6 months of laboratory experience.
How to Apply:
Below is the link to the APHL website where candidates can register. The link includes information on the APHL program, registration, stipend allowance, FAQs, etc.
Contact:
For questions or more information on the project or DEQ, please contact Jeremy Unrau at Jeremy.Unrau@deq.oregon.gov