CLC/prTS 50782

Determination of certain substances in electrotechnical products -Selected per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in certain materials by liquid chromatography and gas chromatography with mass selective detectors CLC/prTS 50782

Scope

This Technical Specification (TS) specifies a test method for the determination of selected non-polymeric per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) listed in Table A.1 in certain materials of electrotechnical products. It further specifies a test method for the determination of n:2 fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs, with n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) being released from certain side-chain fluorinated polymers (SCFPs) present in materials of electrotechnical products by alkaline hydrolysis.
Most PFAS cannot be determined using the test method described in this document for the following reasons, among others: lack of reference materials, insolubility of polymeric PFAS such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Among the PFAS for which reference materials are available, this document only addresses the determination of those PFAS legally restricted or not restricted that, based on the expertise of manufacturers and chemical testing laboratories, are likely to be present in electrotechnical products.
The test methods are applicable to plastics, polymers and organic coatings.
NOTE The extraction efficiency of the extraction solvents used by this test method varies depending on the material type within the specified material groups. However, within the scope of this TS, it is not possible to use the most efficient solvent for each material in the specified material groups.
The test methods are not applicable to determine fluoropolymers, e.g. polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), as these are insoluble in common solvents, and those SCFPs which are stable to alkaline hydrolysis. Fluoropolymers can, so far, only be assessed by non-targeted screening methods such as the determination of total fluorine (TF) content. However, testing TF does not allow any conclusion regarding the specific PFAS contained in a test sample.
Liquid chromatography-triple-quad mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography (GC) mass spectrometry techniques, i.e. gas chromatography-triple-quad mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), gas chromatography-single-quad mass spectrometry with positive chemical ionisation (GC-PCI/MS) and single-quadrupole mass spectrometry with electron impact ionisation (GC-EI/MS), for the determination of certain PFAS listed in Table A.1 are described in the normative part of this document. The LC-MS/MS technique is suitable for PFAS listed in Table A.1 with a tick in column “Liquid chromatography”. The GC techniques are suitable for PFAS listed in Table A.1 with a tick in column “Gas chromatography”.
The test methods may also be applied to the determination of further PFAS and for further materials, provided that the test methods are validated with the additional PFAS and materials.