Waters has hosted Dr Lawrence Zintek, national organic methods development expert at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region Five Central Regional Laboratory in Chicago.
Zintek is the author of two rapid screening methods for Alkylphenols and Bisphenol A (BPA) using Waters Acquity UPLC/Quattro Premier XE (UPLC/MS/MS), recently published in 'American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International'.
He was the keynote speaker at a Waters breakfast seminar held in conjunction with the Water Quality Technology Conference, sponsored by the American Water Works Association in Seattle.
An organic chemical primarily used to make plastics for more than 50 years; BPA is soluble in water and undergoes degradation in the environment.
If and when BPA is introduced into the human body, it becomes an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.
Production estimates for BPA exceed six billion pounds each year.
Joe Romano, senior manager of chemical analysis for the Waters division of Waters Corporation, said: 'The work of the EPA Region 5 Laboratory on BPA is impressive.
'In publishing these new UPLC-based methods, Zintek and his team have provided environmental labs worldwide with the roadmap to screen for potentially harmful Alkylphenols and BPA in water supplies at much lower detection limits faster with reduced solvent consumption.'
