Graham F. Peaslee, "Detecting PFAS"

Ford Lecture Series (Oct. 5, 2023) "Detecting PFAS" Graham F. Peaslee, physics professor, University of Notre Dame The Dwain L Ford Lecture Series is sponsored by the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in honor of former Chair and Professor Dwain L Ford who started this seminar program in 1965. The Series provides students, faculty and the wider community an opportunity to hear guest speakers from academia, industry and government present topics of current interest and importance in chemistry. Our co-host for this lecture is Dana Johnston, administrative assistant, Andrews University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Guest Speaker Bio: Graham F. Peaslee is a professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame. He leads an active research group in applied nuclear science where he brings established nuclear measurement techniques to pressing environmental issues. Most notably, this includes the rapid detection of total fluorine as a surrogate for PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) and screening environmental samples and consumer products to understand their fate and transport. He has over 230 publications, most with student co-authors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Princeton University, and a PhD in Chemical Physics from the State University of New York in Stony Brook, NY. Abstract: PFAS are a complex class of persistent chemicals that have made their way into and throughout the environment. They represent quite possibly the costliest environmental pollutant the US has ever faced. While our ability to detect them is getting ever better (more sensitive and larger libraries), most of our regulatory response to date is based on just a small subset of the total PFAS present. My group has pursued a rapid total absorbable organic fluorine method to screen for the presence of PFAS in water samples, and have discovered as others have, that the occurrence and concentrations of PFAS in environmental samples are much higher than previously measured. A quick survey of what has been discovered in the last few years by combining various total organic fluorine techniques with traditional liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry methods for environmental samples as well as consumer products will be presented, highlighting what may be important to understand further.