IMS and APGC Advance the Discovery of Emerging Environmental Pollutants

Significance of the Topic

Emerging environmental pollutants such as PFAS, persistent organic pollutants and microplastics pose serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Advanced analytical methods are vital to detect, identify, and quantify these contaminants at trace levels in complex matrices.

Objectives and Overview of the Study

The Jobst Research Group at Memorial University of Newfoundland aims to leverage state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and ion mobility technologies to simultaneously screen tens of thousands of compounds in environmental and biological samples. By doing so, they seek to uncover emerging contaminants, assess their distribution and guide regulatory interventions.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The study employs a combination of high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry, cyclic ion mobility separation (cIMS), and atmospheric pressure gas chromatography ionization:

• Waters SELECT SERIES Cyclic IMS with cIMS coupled to high-performance TOF-MS
• Waters Atmospheric Pressure Gas Chromatography (APGC) ionization
• Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-cIMS) for non-targeted discovery
• Custom data workflows for collision cross section (CCS) extraction and wrap-around correction

Main Results and Discussion

• GC-cIMS analysis of indoor dust revealed novel chlorofluoro n-alkanes, indicating new classes of persistent indoor pollutants.
• Nontargeted screening identified fluorotelomer ethoxylates (FTEOs) in indoor dust and industrial effluents, suggesting widespread use in healthcare and consumer anti-fog applications.
• Microplastic profiling in indoor air showed polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polymethylmethacrylate particles at concentrations corresponding to 100–200 μg per day, markedly higher than outdoor levels.
• Multi-pass cyclic IMS experiments demonstrated that increasing the number of IMS cycles enhances CCS precision, enabling more confident identification of unknown compounds.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The integrated IMS-MS approach allows both non-targeted and targeted screening of emerging pollutants, providing accurate quantification for monitoring programs. These insights support the development of safer chemicals and inform exposure assessments and regulatory guidelines.

Future Trends and Applications

• Expanding collaborations to characterize industrial wastewater and conduct exposure studies.
• Refining data reduction strategies using MS/CCS filtering to focus on bioaccumulative and persistent compounds.
• Exploring high-pass cIMS modes to further improve mobility resolution and analytical precision.
• Informing updates to regulatory frameworks to rapidly address newly discovered contaminants.

Conclusion

By combining cyclic ion mobility, high-resolution MS, and APGC, the Jobst Research Group has established a powerful platform for uncovering and quantifying emerging environmental pollutants. This work paves the way for improved monitoring, risk assessment, and ultimately the protection of human health and the environment.

References

1. MacNeil A, Li X, Amiri R, et al. Gas Chromatography-(Cyclic) Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry: A Novel Platform for the Discovery of Unknown Per-/Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Analytical Chemistry. 2022;94(31):11096–11103.
2. Steeves KL, Bissram MJ, Kleywegt S, et al. Nontargeted screening reveals fluorotelomer ethoxylates in indoor dust and industrial wastewater. Environment International. 2023;171:107634.
3. Hashehihedeshi M, Haywood E, Gatch D, et al. Size-resolved identification and quantification of micro/nano-plastics in indoor air using pyrolysis GC-IMS. ChemRxiv. 2023. doi:10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-rvnn0.
4. Breen J, Hashehihedeshi M, Amiri R, et al. Unwrapping Wrap-around in Gas (or Liquid) Chromatographic Cyclic Ion Mobility–Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry. 2022;94(32):11113–11117.