PIGE-Fluorine Testing for Prioritizing Cosmetic Samples in PFAS Analysis

The widespread use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS in cosmetics for their water and grease resistance is concerning due to their carcinogenic and bioaccumulative properties when in contact. Thorough testing with methods like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is prohibitive in both cost and scale, making screening methods an important tool. A proven screening method that determines total fluorine content in a homogenous sample (like make-up) is Proton-Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE).

PFAS compounds are characterized by their high fluorine content. Fluorine is also monoisotopic, with 19F being the only stable configuration. PIGE exploits these facts by bombarding samples with protons, causing excitations in 19F which promptly decay back to their ground state via gamma-ray emission, providing a highly specific and quantitative signal for total fluorine content.

The present work will highlight the ongoing efforts using UMass Lowell’s 5.5 MeV Van De Graff particle accelerator and high-resolution gamma ray detectors as a PFAS screening tool. Multiple cosmetic product samples have been measured and compared to known loaded fluorine samples. This presentation will cover the data collected, analysis, and quantitative results.