As a technical service representative, I spend my time troubleshooting consumables and instruments, making product suggestions, and helping customers solve analytical puzzles. In February 2025, I was lucky enough to take part in the technical service sabbatical program\u2014one that took me from the phone lines and back into the lab. I immersed myself in sample preparation, specifically learning about one of the most talked-about analytical protocols today: EPA Method 1633A, designed for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and other matrices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a look at what I learned\u2014and what I wish I\u2019d known when I started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
EPA Method 1633A is a performance-based method that focuses on the detection of 40 PFAS compounds in wastewater, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment, biosolids, and fish tissue. PFAS are often called \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they persist in the environment and accumulate over time. The method is designed to be comprehensive and sensitive, detecting PFAS at parts-per-trillion levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to someone with no hands-on experience in sample preparation (like I was), that level of precision comes with a steep learning curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a trained synthetic chemist and having spent time in both pharmaceutical labs and at a cannabis testing lab as an analytical chemist, I\u2019ve had plenty of experience with handling chemicals and running instruments. The one area where I lacked hands-on experience was solid-phase extraction (SPE), so my first few days were a bit humbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Sample handling basics<\/strong> \u2013 Even the container matters. PFAS can leach from certain plastics or be present in common lab items that are made from PTFE. That meant paying close attention to containers and other laboratory items that may contain PFAS materials. Jumping into a functioning lab for a few months was an easy task for me, but it required planning and project management on the part of those who are permanent Sample Preparation researchers. We had to have a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon starting the sabbatical, a project was underway, which was to upgrade the sample preparation workflow through cartridge selection and filter aid advantage for a variety of matrices. We looked at three variations of cartridges: WAX only, Dual Bed (WAX and CarboPrep Plus), and Triple the PFAS Dual Bed with Filter Aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EPA Method 1633A pairs with LC-MS\/MS (Liquid Chromatography \u2013 Tandem Mass Spectrometry), but lucky for me the method was already set and ready to roll. It had been a while since I had run my own LC samples (about 5 years) so re-familiarization was in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the most surprising takeaway was just how meticulous this work is. There\u2019s no room for shortcuts. Everything\u2014from the grade of methanol to the type of collection vessel\u2014can make or break your results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that I\u2019m back in my role, I don\u2019t just talk about Method 1633A\u2014I understand what it\u2019s like to live it. I know what it means to work with the cartridges, have them clog due to matrix, and the common frustrations associated with the vacuum manifolds and even the data gathering and analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sabbatical reminded me that behind every analytical method are real people\u2014grinding samples, watching flow rates, triple-checking results. And as PFAS regulation grows stricter, EPA Method 1633A will only become more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re supporting customers working with this method, I highly recommend spending some time in the lab and becoming familiar with the sample preparation process. It\u2019ll change how you see everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a look at what I learned about running EPA Method 1633A—and what I wish I’d known when I started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[790],"tags":[],"industries-application":[2185,2189],"post-badge":[],"resource-type":[],"product-library":[],"resource-technique":[2310,2312,2361,2313],"ppma_author":[607],"class_list":["post-48505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs-zh","industries-application-environmental-zh","industries-application-pfas-testing-zh","resource-technique-liquid-chromatography-zh","resource-technique-mass-spectrometry-ms-zh","resource-technique-ms-ms-zh","resource-technique-solid-phase-extraction-spe-zh"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":790,"label":"\u535a\u5ba2"}],"industries-application":[{"value":2185,"label":"\u73af\u5883"},{"value":2189,"label":"PFAS\u68c0\u6d4b"}],"resource-technique":[{"value":2310,"label":"\u6db2\u76f8\u8272\u8c31"},{"value":2312,"label":"\u8d28\u8c31 (MS)"},{"value":2361,"label":"MS\/MS"},{"value":2313,"label":"\u56fa\u76f8\u8403\u53d6"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Kevin Albertson","author_link":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/author\/kevin-albertson\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":790,"name":"\u535a\u5ba2","slug":"blogs-zh","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":790,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":444,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":790,"category_count":444,"category_description":"","cat_name":"\u535a\u5ba2","category_nicename":"blogs-zh","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"authors":[{"term_id":607,"user_id":52,"is_guest":0,"slug":"kevin-albertson","display_name":"Kevin Albertson","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/albertson-kevin.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/albertson-kevin.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48505"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79002,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48505\/revisions\/79002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"industries-application","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industries-application?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"post-badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-badge?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"product-library","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-library?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"resource-technique","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-technique?post=48505"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/discover.restek.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=48505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2022 Contamination control<\/strong> \u2013 This isn\u2019t just about keeping things clean. PFAS contamination can come from a multitude of places. Blank samples and spikes aren\u2019t just recommended\u2014they\u2019re essential to prove your data is real.
\u2022 Solvent handling and pH adjustment<\/strong> \u2013 The method requires specific steps for extracting samples. I learned how critical pH is to recover PFAS from environmental matrices. Too high or too low, and you can lose analytes before you even start.
\u2022 SPE (Solid-Phase Extraction)<\/strong> \u2013 One of the most critical parts of the method. It took me days to get comfortable with cartridge conditioning, flow rates, and drying techniques. I quickly learned that over-drying can reduce recovery, while under-drying can lead to solvent evaporation problems during elution.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMatrices and Cartridges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mid-Sabbatical: Getting Intimate with the 1633A Method and Instruments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lessons in Patience:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back to Technical Service\u2014with a Whole New Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n