Analysis of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Settled Dust by Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Method Validation and Application to Vietnamese House and Road Dusts.

Information about perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) like perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and sulfonates (PFSs) in settled dust from emerging and developing countries is still limited, partly due to the lack of efficient analytical methods. In this study, a reliable, simple, and cost-effective analytical procedure was developed and validated to determine 12 PFCAs and 4 PFSs in dust samples. The samples were ultrasonicated with methanol, followed by a dispersive sorbent clean-up step with graphitized carbon and quantification by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The analytical method exhibited adequate recovery (80-120% for native standards and 50-130% for labeled standards), precision (relative standard deviations < 25%), and detection limits (0.010-0.10 ng/g). The validated method was applied to analyze PFAS concentrations in settled dusts collected from Hanoi, Vietnam. PFASs were frequently detected in the Vietnamese dust samples at relatively low concentrations (median 4.15, max 27.4 ng/g).