Environmental analysis
In an increasingly populated and resource-scarce world, we help our clients understand the relationships between people and the built and natural environments. RPS provides a wide range of analysis to support consultancies, businesses and regulators to monitor for contamination of the natural and built environment.
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Our laboratories analyse soils, sediment, waters, wastewaters, leachates and other complex matrices down to extremely low levels of detection. This is delivered using the latest instrumentation in purpose-built facilities located in the UK and The Netherlands. RPS has an extensive network of partner laboratories worldwide. This enables samples to be received from testing across the globe, not just from our inhouse sampling teams but other commercial laboratories too.
Our laboratories operate to ISO/IEC 17025 and MCERTs standards and we hold a Plant Health licence to allow the import of soils from outside the European Union.
PFAS analysis
In line with the new proposed EU council amendment to Directive 98/83/EC Annex I and III, which now includes 20 PFAS compounds and sets a Sum of PFASs limit of 0.1ug/l, this reflects the World Health Organisation’s recommendations.
Using LC-MS/MS RPS can detect sub nanogram levels of these PFAS compound in surface water, groundwater and treated effluents.
PFECHS - a PFAS Compound of emerging interest
RPS can also provide the analysis of Perfluoroethylcyclohexane Sulfonate (PFECHS) which has been utilised extensively as a hydraulic fluid additive inhibit corrosion especially in aircraft systems and has recently been identified as a likely source of this product in surface waters, fish and sediments in the proximity to airport facilities.
As PFECHS is a technical mixture it contains over 13 constituents in varying ratios which can be determined by LC-MS/MS.
PFAS 20 List from Annex III
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPA)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Perfluoropentane sulfonic acid (PFPS)
- Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluoroheptane sulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)
- Perfluorononane sufonic acid (PFNS)
- Perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (PFDS)
- Perfluoroundecene sulfonic acid
- Perfluorododecane sulfonic acid
- Perfluorotridecane sulfonic acid
Our environmental expertise
- Herbicides and Pesticides
- Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)
- Volatile Organic Compounds and Semi-volatile Organic Compounds
- Isocyanates
- Ionic and Non-ionic Detergents
- Heavy Metals
- Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
- Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Phthalates
- Phenols
- Dyes and additives
- Nitrosamines
- Organotins
- Explosives
- Chemical weapon agents
- Drugs of abuse
- Asbestos
- Geotechnical analysis
ISO/IEC 17025 accredited
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