PFAS testing gets complicated fast, not because the science is impossible, but because the details matter. Targets vary by matrix, low-ppt expectations are common, and background contamination can quietly ruin a batch.
That’s why Agilent has built a one-page, practical cheat sheet you can share with your lab team or keep beside your method notes.
Inside, you’ll find a quick workflow compass across key matrices – meat/seafood, dairy & infant formula, grains and plant-based foods, and food contact materials – so you can align on what “good testing” looks like before you start.
What the cheat sheet covers:
- Targets to consider: a clear starting point with the core PFAS set (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS), plus guidance on when to extend to broader panels, isomers (e.g., seafood), and precursors where applicable.
- Workflow building blocks: practical notes on sample prep, extraction, cleanup, and analysis, including matrix-aware choices that help protect recoveries and LOQs.
- QA/QC essentials: batch blank strategy, calibration verification cadence, matrix spikes/duplicates, LOQ verification by matrix, and documentation requirements that support audit-readiness.
- Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them): PTFE exposure, non-screened solvents, carryover after high-level samples, inconsistent homogenization, and surrogates added too late, issues that can drive reruns and questionable data.
- Reporting and decisions: unit expectations, sum rules where mandated, and what to include in the report (method ID, LOQs, uncertainty, surrogate recoveries, qualifiers, and deviations).
Download the PFAS cheat sheet