Reference Standard: EN 17681-1:2025
1. Introduction
Standard Overview:
On April 30, 2025, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) formally published the revised PFAS testing standard for textiles, EN 17681-1:2025. The standard came into effect on October 31, 2025, fully replacing the 2022 edition. Compared with the previous version, the three principal changes are:
1. Significantly Expanded Analyte Scope
The previous standard mainly covered free or extractable PFAS. The new standard additionally includes PFAS released from side-chain fluorinated polymers, such as degradation products including fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs).
2. Enhanced Analytical Performance
Overall sensitivity requirements have been raised, and short-chain PFAS are now included in the quantitative requirements, imposing more stringent requirements on instrument sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, and stability.
3. Higher Instrument Configuration Requirements
The method is designed for high-throughput UPLC-MS/MS workflows and requires rapid ionization, highspeed scanning, and stable long-term operation. Conventional LC-MS systems may have difficulty meeting the compliance requirements.
Solution Overview:
EXPEC 5700 incorporates in-source ion-beam focusing to significantly improve effective ion utilization. Its innovative triple-quadrupole ion-guiding technology and mass-analyzer design ensure efficient ion transmission and long-term mass-axis stability, delivering excellent sensitivity and robust stability.
This application solution integrates the technical advantages of EXPEC 5700 with the practical requirements of EN 17681-1:2025, providing textile manufacturers with a scientific, efficient, and robust total solution for PFAS analysis to support regulatory compliance and market competitiveness.
2. Experimental
2.1 Samples, Standards, Reagents and Equipment
Instrument: EXPEC 5700 triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer;
Ancillary equipment: ULC 510 ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph, equipped with a binary ultra-high-pressure pump, an ultra-high-pressure autosampler with cooling, and a column oven;
Samples: gauze, denim fabric, and outdoor shell fabric;
Standards: standards for 33 PFAS compounds purchased from Alta Scientific Co., Ltd.;
Reagents: acetonitrile, ammonium acetate, and methanol were chromatographic grade; sodium hydroxide and glacial acetic acid were analytical grade; water was ultrapure water.
2.2 LC and MS Conditions
2.3 Sample Preparation
Cut the test specimen into pieces approximately 0.3–0.5 cm in size. Weigh 1 g of sample (to the nearest 10 mg), add 14 mL of methanol and 1.4 mL of NaOH solution (40% v/v), and perform ultrasonic extraction at (60 ± 5) °C for (60 ± 5) min.
After cooling, add approximately 1.4 mL of glacial acetic acid and adjust the pH to 6–7. Recheck the pH after 5 min; if it is outside this range, adjust with glacial acetic acid or 40% sodium hydroxide solution and record the added volume.
Finally, make the extract up to 20 mL with ultrapure water. Centrifuge at 8,000 r/min for 5 min and collect the supernatant for analysis.
2.4 Calibration Standards
Prepare a series of PFAS calibration solutions using a 0.05 mM NaOH/methanol solution (v:v = 1:99). The working concentrations are 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 µg/L; for n:2 FTOHs, the concentration range is 2–100 µg/L. Inject according to the method described above.
3. Representative Chromatograms
4. Representative Data
4.1 Calibration Curve Information
4.2 Sample Results
Gauze, outdoor shell fabric, and denim samples were pretreated and analyzed. 8:2 FTOH was detected in the outdoor shell and denim samples at 15.4 µg/kg and 10.9 µg/kg, respectively. No other target compounds were detected, and no target analytes were detected in the gauze sample.
5. Conclusion
Based on the EU textile PFAS test standard EN 17681-1:2025, this study evaluated the linearity, precision, sensitivity, and recovery of 33 PFAS compounds in textile samples. All PFAS correlation coefficients (r) were greater than 0.995, demonstrating good linearity, and the LOQ performance exceeded the requirements of the standard. Repeatability tests showed peak-area RSD values below 5%, indicating good precision. Recovery results ranged from 80% to 120%, meeting the standard criterion of greater than 60%. These results demonstrate that the EXPEC 5700 system, with its high sensitivity and strong resistance to contamination, enables rapid, accurate, and sensitive quantitative determination of PFAS residues in textiles.
