Thinking about entering the PFAS market? Explore trends, regulations, and solutions to stay ahead in this evolving applications space.
Whether you’re a contract testing lab, industrial manufacturer, remediation company, or regulator, staying up to date with evolving PFAS regulations and analytical developments is crucial. In this article, you’ll discover emerging trends, key method considerations, practical tips for staying informed, and Agilent solutions tailored to your needs.
What are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and ubiquitous contaminants that do not biodegrade. Nicknamed ‘forever chemicals,’ these industrial and commercial compounds — commonly used in medical devices, consumer products, food packaging, and kitchenware — are being routinely detected in different environments across the globe. Concerns are mounting over their potential impacts on human health, with recent studies demonstrating the negative effects of PFAS on the human immune system.
Why is there a concern?
Emerging research has found that PFAS bind to proteins in exposed organisms and are resistant to metabolic degradation and excretion. They also biomagnify – in other words, their concentration increases in the tissues of organisms as they progress up the food chain. Therefore, by the time they reach the fish or livestock that humans consume, their levels can be significantly higher than in the original source. Many health effects of PFAS remain under investigation, and new PFAS compounds are still being discovered.
Regulatory action is accelerating. The growing concerns around persistent organic pollutants have recently prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce federal regulation on five PFAS, marking the first regulated chemicals in more than 20 years. They have also proposed that nine PFAS be categorised as hazardous to human health under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Furthermore, in a bid to raise awareness of the PFAS pollution problem, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), in cooperation with ChemSec, tested 11 politicians for PFAS contamination, with five exceeding levels of concern. According to the EEB, the results of this study mirror the average levels of exposure across Europe.
PFAS testing is a growing challenge for industries, regulators, and testing labs worldwide. As awareness rises, so does the demand for accurate testing to understand where these chemicals occur and how to manage them. But before jumping into this market, labs must ask a critical question: What does it really take to get PFAS testing right?
What must labs consider before entering the PFAS market?
Defining your goals
Before entering the PFAS testing market, it’s essential to clearly define your objectives — because your approach will vary depending on your role and responsibilities. Consider what those goals may look like in the following scenarios:
Contract testing labs: Determine which matrices to test and to what levels. Identify regulatory or testing methods you need to follow, along with any compliance and accreditation needs.
Industrial manufacturers: Conduct testing to meet regulatory guidance or discharge permits, whether that’s for your raw materials or waste discharge.
Regulators trying to identify new PFAS: Investigate the tools you’ll need to discover currently unknown PFAS.
Engineering firms or remediation companies: Identify if the treatment is removing PFAS, but also ensure you are not creating them or converting them into other by-products in the process.
Method considerations
Effective PFAS testing relies on a robust workflow — from suitable sample preservation to comprehensive sample preparation and precise analysis.
Sample preservation
PFAS often have surface-active properties, making them susceptible to adhering to sample vessels. Therefore, secure sample preservation and transportation methods are critical to ensure sample integrity during transit and storage.
Sample preparation and cleanup
Sample preparation is essential for isolating PFAS from diverse matrices like drinking water, soil, and air. Specific procedures can remove interfering substances from samples to ensure high purity and minimise background noise. Enrichment techniques and cleanup steps may also be necessary before sample analysis to further optimise detection limits and enhance recovery from challenging environmental samples.
Analysis
In targeted PFAS analysis, LC/TQ is typically used due to its exceptional sensitivity and selectivity. However, this technique is restricted to compounds with available analytical standards and relatively polar compounds that ionise well in LC/MS. For nonpolar and volatile PFAS, GC/MS is often preferred. When the goal is nontargeted analysis to identify large amounts of unknown PFAS, high-resolution LC/MS systems such as LC/Q-TOF are increasingly favoured.
Each of these techniques must be critically accompanied by high-performance, regulatory-compliant software to analyse and report the data according to compliance and accreditation requirements.
Trends emerging in specific sectors
PFAS testing is evolving rapidly, with several trends emerging in different sectors. Understanding these developments is essential for staying compliant and competitive as regulations tighten and analytical methods advance.
Food industry
With increased scrutiny around the use of PFAS in food packaging and foodstuffs, the food sector is feeling the pressure to make changes. Testing for PFAS in food is becoming more common as companies seek to comply with evolving regulations and respond to consumer demand for safer products. Many companies are phasing out harmful long-chain PFAS and replacing them with shorter-chain PFAS that demonstrate reduced bioaccumulation. Many are also adopting PFAS-free, nonfluorinated compounds to meet consumer demand for safer products. Because food supply chains are global, regulations in one region often influence practices worldwide.
Water treatment
Advances in water treatment technologies are driving new testing methods. As regulations become stricter, there is a need for more sensitive and accurate testing to ensure compliance with lower detection limits. Furthermore, thermal destruction techniques used to break down PFAS also require robust testing of by-products to ensure they do not introduce new contaminants.
Consumer products
The push for PFAS-free consumer products is leading to more comprehensive testing protocols. This includes testing for a broader range of PFAS compounds and ensuring that alternatives do not pose similar risks.
Environmental monitoring
To identify unknown PFAS compounds in the environment, nontargeted analysis techniques such as high-resolution mass spectrometry are gaining traction as a way to understand the full extent of PFAS contamination and its impact.
Air monitoring
As more volatile PFAS compounds are being discovered as part of manufacturing processes, incineration, and everyday product use, testing for PFAS in air has become a big focus of the industry.
Regulatory trends on the horizon
Staying up to date with emerging regulatory trends is crucial to ensure your PFAS testing is compliant and meets demand. Several regulatory trends are emerging to be aware of:
U.S. EPA drinking water standards: The U.S. EPA has set the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standards for certain PFAS, with this trend set to continue for more PFAS as research evolves.
EU bans and restrictions: The EU aims to phase out at least 10,000 PFAS by 2030 to help manage risks.
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements: The US and EU are tightening their rules on reporting and recordkeeping from manufacturers and industry.
Global harmonisation of PFAS regulations: Countries are increasingly aligning their regulatory frameworks with international standards, such as those set by the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions.
These trends highlight the importance of staying informed and compliant with evolving regulations to effectively manage PFAS-related risks.
How to stay current with regulations
To stay ahead of evolving PFAS regulations and industry best practices, consider these practical steps:
Regularly participate in meetings, webinars, and conferences hosted by regulatory agencies like the U.S. EPA and European Chemicals Agency for firsthand updates on environmental regulatory changes, and the U.S. FDA and EFSA for food safety regulations and emerging trends.
Subscribe to newsletters from reputable sources such as the EPA, Environmental Law Institute, and industry-specific publications, which highlight recent regulatory updates and provide expert analysis.
Join professional organisations such as the American Chemical Society and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, which provide exclusive access to resources like regulatory updates, research findings, and networking opportunities.
Utilise online databases and tools that track regulatory changes and provide comprehensive information on toxicology and occurrence data. For example: the OECD Global Database of PFAS, the EU European Environment Agency and their Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring, the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed portal, and the CompTox Chemicals Dashboard.
Establish connections with other professionals in the field to share insights and experiences.
Engage with instrument suppliers like Agilent, who collaborate with regulatory bodies and participate in standards committees and conferences. They often share early updates on testing requirements and emerging best practices.
Find solutions for your specific sector
Materials testing: Cosmetics
The chemistry and properties of PFAS compounds make them useful for stabilising many products and dispersing or resisting moisture. As a result, they are widely used in topical healthcare and cosmetics. Emerging regulatory changes in 2026 will demand tighter controls and restrictions. Agilent has developed several specific solutions to help you address this need, including an automated approach to measure 30 volatile PFAS in cosmetics like foundations, lipsticks, and mascaras. This automated approach is ideal for production and process monitoring while reducing interaction with samples that could introduce PFAS from other sources.
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Environmental monitoring: Drinking water
The prevalence, persistence, and potential impact of PFAS on health mean managing exposure is a priority for water suppliers and treatment companies. Regulations have been expanding globally, with the U.S. EPA and EU leading the way, and more regions expected to adopt stringent standards. To help you meet these evolving regulations, Agilent has developed solutions aligned with prescribed methodologies and risk-based detection limits. These solutions are designed and manufactured to eliminate PFAS contamination introduced during testing and ensure confidence in results through optimised sample containment, preparation, and flow paths.
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Environmental monitoring: Air
Exposure to airborne and volatile PFAS through respirated air is a growing concern as the impact on human health is increasingly being uncovered. Many regulatory bodies are aiming to introduce limits for ambient and indoor air, making this form of PFAS testing critical. Industrial emissions are a likely source of these contaminants, prompting organisations to test and evaluate the need for preventive measures. Sampling methods such as canister collection and thermal desorption are commonly used, and Agilent — working closely with industry partners – is developing solutions designed to help you meet and exceed emerging regulatory requirements. Specifically, Agilent has developed an automated GC/MS workflow allowing for the identification and quantification of a wide range of volatile fluorinated species in the air to meet expected regulatory requirements.
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Food testing
PFAS contamination in food has become a growing concern as research links these chemicals to long-term health risks, and regulatory limits continue to tighten worldwide. Whether you’re starting a PFAS food testing programme or adapting an existing workflow, Agilent provides comprehensive solutions tailored to your needs. Our workflows are optimised for PFAS analysis, rigorously tested for cleanliness, and designed for specific food matrices. At the heart of this approach are Agilent Captiva EMR PFAS Food cartridges, which act as a selective filter — retaining unwanted food matrix components in the sorbent while allowing PFAS compounds to pass through. This provides a simple and effective cleanup, reduces contamination risk, lowers cost per sample, and minimises the chance of lab-introduced false positives. Combined with the precision of the Agilent 6495D LC/TQ, this solution brings you reliable, reproducible results, day after day.
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Stay ahead in PFAS analysis
Regulatory changes are driving the need for more comprehensive and frequent testing. As policies expand to cover a broader range of materials and products – including food, water, and consumer goods – the demand for advanced analytical methods continues to grow. Laboratories must increase testing capacity, adopt new technologies, and stay current with the latest techniques to remain compliant. Managing this growth requires careful planning, robust quality control, skilled personnel, and reliable data management.
Agilent supports this journey with comprehensive PFAS testing solutions — combining innovative sample preparation, contamination-free workflows, and high-performance technology. Designed to meet today’s regulatory requirements and scale for tomorrow’s challenges, Agilent helps laboratories deliver accurate, reproducible results with confidence.
This article will feature in our upcoming January PFAS Special Focus Publication.
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