Superfund Research Program

May 2025

Diana Aga and Karla R&ios-Bonilla in the lab together

Supported by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program, Diana Aga, Ph.D, and graduate student Karla Ríos-Bonilla are developing a new method to detect PFAS. The strategy can quantify short and ultrashort PFAS, which are notoriously difficult to detect with conventional methods.

“The new approach allows us to analyze for a wider range of PFAS using one method, which is typically achieved using multiple techniques, to gain a comprehensive picture of the different PFAS in environmental samples,” Aga said.

With less time and materials, Aga and Ríos-Bonilla use supercritical fluid chromatography carbon dioxide, which behaves like a hybrid between a gas and a liquid, to separate PFAS from water and an organic solvent.

Learn more about the innovative method in the NIEHS Environmental Factor.