Validation of a Hydrolysis-DART-HRMS Screening Method for 6:2 Fluorotelomer Alcohol Greaseproofer coatings

While per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been present in food contact materials (FCM) and packaging for more than 60 years, the science, technology, packaging market and PFAS moieties have changed dramatically. Greaseproof coatings for paper and molded fiber food contact articles have shifted from polymeric systems with pendent long chain perfluorinated molecules to short chain polyfluorinated moieties. In addition, fluorinated polymers were also used as greaseproofing agents. Market shifts, especially to polymeric fluorinated coatings, cannot be monitored with traditional extraction methods optimal for small molecules. Recent work on hydrolysis and ambient ionization methods dovetails with evidence of fluorotelomer use in food contact articles and the US FDA announcement of FCS market cessation of 6:2 fluorotelomer-containing formulations. The need for reliable data in monitoring these market changes necessitates validated methods for polyfluorinated coatings. Therefore, a single laboratory validation was conducted on a hydrolysis-DART-ID-HRMS screening method for hydrolyzable 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) containing greaseproof coatings. The qualitative method optimization and validation followed US FDA chemical method validation guidelines, and included robustness, accuracy, sensitivity, and equipment extension experiments. Validation experiment results will be presented that demonstrate the DART-ID-HRMS method was capable of screening fiber food contact articles for 6:2 fluorotelomer-containing greaseproof coatings with 95% confidence of a <5% false positive and false negative rate above approximately mg hydrolysable 6:2 FTOH per g paper.