The world’s lowest accredited quantification limit (LOQ) for PFOS in natural waters?

Associated with EU’s water framework directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) there are 45 prioritized pollutants of which PFOS is one. The substance was added in 2013 (2013/39/EU) and must be incorporated into monitoring programmes this year. The directives are included in Swedish regulation through HVMFS 2013:19. In the 2013 directive there are two environmental quality standards so called AA-EQS, of which the higher is 0.65 ng/l and the lower 0.13 ng/l  aimed for different kinds of surface waters.

Eurofins has since Sep 2016 been able to, routinely, analyse PFOS and other PFAS at WFD levels. For PFOS we today offer 0.2 ng/l as standard LOQ for natural waters, and in addition there is a separate method with 0.1 ng/l (LW13X). Now we are decreasing the LOQ in the latter method to 0.039 ng/l, which to the best of our knowledge is the lowest accredited level on the market. This means Eurofins can now provide analyses with LOQs equal to or less than 30% of the limit EQS values in accord with the recommendations in directive 2009/90/EC.

The code is still LW13X and there are no changes in price, sample volume or delivery time (TAT) with respect to the new LOQ. Two 500ml PE bottles supplied by Eurofins are still required and the TAT is 5 working days as before.

More information on PFAS analyses can be found in our search engine.

Contact Eurofins experts!

Questions on PFAS can be answered by Patrick van Hees: tel 010-490 8151, e-mail: patrickvanhees@eurofins.se or Needa Shaheen: tel 010-490 8150, e-mail: needashaheen@eurofins.se