Post by Thermo Fisher Scientific

A single drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. That's the concentration at which some PFAS "forever chemicals" can exist in drinking water, making them extraordinarily difficult to detect. After PFAS contamination was discovered in drinking water sources serving more than 350,000 homes in North Carolina, researchers at Duke University and the North Carolina PFAS Research Network began using the Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap™ Astral™ Mass Spectrometer to detect PFAS at concentrations 5-10 times lower than previously possible and identify their molecular structures in a single analysis. This helps them trace contamination sources, identify previously unknown compounds and uncover emerging environmental concerns. For Lee Ferguson, Ph.D., associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University, the difference is dramatic: "If earlier technology was like seeing 100 times better than the naked eye, this is more like seeing 1,000 times better. And we're not just seeing deeper, we're seeing a much wider field of view, with greater accuracy." As scientists gather at ASMS 2026, work like this demonstrates how advances in mass spectrometry are helping researchers uncover environmental threats that were once invisible. A single drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool may seem impossible to find. But when researchers can see what was once invisible, they can work to better protect communities, water resources and public health. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e9ZJV-Yb