Read the full article by Felicia Jackson (SG Voice)
“Scientists in Chemistry and Environmental Science at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with scientists from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, have developed a new approach for detecting pollution from ‘forever chemicals’ in water through luminescence.
Stuart Harrad, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, who – with colleague Professor Zoe Pikramenou, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Photophysics – co-led the design of a new sensor, said: ‘Being able to identify ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water, or in the environment from industrial spills is crucial for our own health and the health of our planet. Current methods for measurement of these contaminants are difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.
‘There is a clear and pressing need for a simple, rapid, cost-effective method for measuring PFAS in water samples onsite to aid containment and remediation, especially at (ultra)trace concentrations. But until now, it had proved incredibly difficult to do that.'”