PFAS testing is moving beyond PFOA and PFOS, with ultra-short-chain compounds raising new questions for water utilities and laboratories.
Lindsay Boone, PFAS program leader for Pace Analytical, talks with Environmental Transformation podcast host Sean Grady about the EPA's proposed UCMR 6 monitoring, biosolids management and the growing challenge of landfill leachate. She outlines plans to test for seven ultra-short-chain compounds beginning in 2028 and explains why trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, could complicate efforts to distinguish contamination in a sample from background contamination.
Boone discusses proposed changes to drinking water limits, the treatment differences between long- and short-chain compounds, and why utilities cannot choose technology without understanding their water chemistry. The conversation covers carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, land application of biosolids and efforts to move responsibility for industrial discharges back to their sources.
She also examines what laboratories can actually measure when companies claim PFAS destruction, including the limits of targeted testing and the importance of tracking precursor compounds. For landfills and wastewater plants, the challenge extends beyond removing contaminants to managing concentrated waste, disposal costs and potential liability.
Boone explains why laboratories need reporting limits and data quality objectives before samples arrive, especially when property transactions or regulatory deadlines create pressure for fast results. Her message to utilities, consultants and waste operators: Treat the laboratory as part of the project team, not a black box.
PFAS resources: pfas.com
Contact Lindsay Boone: lindsay.boone@pacelabs.com
Follow the podcast and sign up for updates: seankgrady.com
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