Bryan C. Duffy, PhD
Research Interests
Clean drinking water is a priority for all New Yorkers. The emerging contaminant laboratory focuses on testing for recently regulated organic contaminants in drinking water, and the development of more sensitive and robust laboratory testing methods to quantitate them. The laboratory uses automated solid-phase extraction, along with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrumentation to quantitate contaminants at ultra-trace levels. Current routine testing of drinking water includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by EPA Methods 533 and 537.1, as well as testing for the carcinogenic solvent 1,4-dioxane by EPA Method 522.
Dr. Duffy’s current research projects include developing methods for identifying methyl siloxane solvent contamination of water sources and covalent PFAS binding in biological lipids. Example contaminants that have been studied previously in the laboratory include PFAS in landfill leachate samples, tire rubber compounds in local stormwater run-off, and steroid hormones in drinking water.
Dr. Duffy is also the technical expert for the Wadsworth Cannabis Reference Laboratory Program’s liquid chromatography methods development. These methods include cannabinoid testing, mycotoxin testing, and pesticide testing. The Wadsworth Cannabis Reference Laboratory Program acts as New York State’s reference laboratory supporting safety and adverse reaction investigations by the Office of Cannabis Management.