More capacity added for perchlorate testing

Environmental NEWS - Summer 2007

Perchlorate is a strong oxidant used in a variety of industrial applications, including rocket fuels and explosives. Because of its high mobility in the environment and the difficulty of remediating perchlorate in water systems, concern about perchlorate contamination in the environment has escalated. Although the health effects of the compound are still being studied, medical professionals suspect that perchlorate affects thyroid function. Therefore, EPA placed the chemical on the Contaminant Candidate List, and Lancaster Laboratories has seen an increasing number of requests for analysis of this compound.

Senior chemist Tony Lodde operates an LC/MS/MS for
perchlorate detection by Method 8321.

To meet the testing demand, an additional Ion Chromatograph (IC) was purchased, and the new instrument is being used to perform EPA method 314.0. This method is capable of achieving quantitation limits of 2 ppb. However, some state regulators have adopted advisory limits that are at or below the sensitivity of the IC method, so Lancaster Labs also offers perchlorate testing by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS). This test, which is based on EPA Method 8321, provides better selectivity and sensitivity for perchlorate. The quantitation limit for the LC/MS/MS method is 1 ppb. Analysts at Lancaster Labs are also investigating the use of several new LC/MS/MS methods published recently by EPA.