PFAS · Sampling and Laboratory Data
What Is EPA Method 1633A?
EPA Method 1633A measures 40 target PFAS. It uses liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry, and isotope dilution. It can test wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and landfill leachate. It can also test soil, sediment, biosolids, and tissue.
Targeted means the method looks for compounds on its analyte list. A clean result for those targets does not prove that no other PFAS or organofluorine is present. The laboratory report should identify analytes, units, reporting limits, qualifiers, recoveries, blanks, and any matrix problems.
EPA published Method 1633A. Its approval for a specific Clean Water Act use may vary. Check current federal rules and the permit. A permit may require the method before general Part 136 approval.
Sample type matters. Wastewater, leachate, biosolids, sediment, and tissue need different lab steps. Tell the lab what the material is. Give percent solids or other useful facts when known. A sample called “water” may be a thick side stream that needs other steps. A method number cannot fix a poorly named sample.
Key point: Use the method named by the controlling requirement and understand what it does—and does not—measure.
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PFAS in Wastewater: Sources, Sampling, Source Control, and Residuals
This page comes from the course. It covers PFAS sources in the sewershed, how PFAS moves through a treatment plant, sampling and lab methods, source control, treatment residuals and biosolids, one step at a time, with short knowledge checks and a certificate of completion.
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