13 Apr 2026

Review of Emerging and Nonconventional Analytical Techniques for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Application for Risk Assessment

Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants that pose significant risks to ecosystems and human health. Increasing regulatory demands for PFAS management have increased the need for rapid and deployable analytical technologies for both abiotic and biotic matrices. Traditional detection methods, such as standardized chromatography, often require weeks to months for analysis due to a limited number of appropriately accredited laboratories, delaying critical decision-making. This literature review is intended to identify promising emerging PFAS analytical techniques or technologies to facilitate more rapid (near real-time) analysis and explore their relevancy in supporting human and ecological risk assessments. Recently developed optical and electrochemical sensing approaches are enabling the detection of PFASs within minutes to hours, with detection limits typically aligning within reported ambient concentrations in water, soil, and sediment. These emerging technologies could (1) support planning and prioritization of sampling efforts during the problem formulation phase of risk assessment, (2) complement traditional chromatography methods to lower time and resource demands to improve sampling frequency over space and time, and (3) aid in risk-informed characterization of PFAS exposures based on identified chemical classes or groups. This review highlights those approaches and technologies that could potentially enhance the comprehensiveness and efficiency of PFAS risk assessment across diverse environmental settings in the future.