Environmental laboratory
As concern around PFAS pollution grows, a critical gap remains between what’s present in the environment and what laboratories can reliably detect.
In this must-attend webinar, leading experts Dr David Megson and Geraint Williams explore how scientific and analytical capabilities are adapting to meet regulatory and environmental demands.
Drawing on real-world data and international research, this webinar examines the current limitations of PFAS monitoring and what is needed to better align testing capabilities with the complex mix of PFAS compounds actually found in air, soil, and water.
Key learnings:
1. Understanding the mismatch: explore why current commercial PFAS testing methods may miss significant environmental contamination. And how sampling and detection gaps impact risk assessments and regulatory compliance
2. Analytical and forensic advancements: learn about cutting-edge technologies being used to track PFAS sources and behaviour
3. Shaping the future of testing: discover what changes are needed - from standards and guidance to commercial lab offerings - to improve accuracy and environmental protection.
Whether you're an environmental consultant, regulator, lab analyst or work in litigation support, this session offers a comprehensive, expert-led look at one of the most urgent challenges in contamination monitoring.
Dr David Megson is currently a Reader in Chemistry and Environmental Forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). He also works on pollution litigation cases as a Senior Environmental Consultant at Chemistry Matters (Canada). He is currently Chair of the International Network of Environmental Forensics (INEF) and sits on committees for the Royal Society of Chemistry (ESEC), British Mass Spectrometry Society (EFASIG), North West Brownfield Regeneration Forum (NWBRF), British Standards Institution (BSI) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Dr Megson investigates sources of legacy and emerging persistent organic pollutants and monitors them in the environment using advanced analytical techniques including multidimensional chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Much of Dr Megson’s research has an environmental forensics aspect which involves identifying the sources of contamination, transport pathways and the magnitude of pollutant exposure. As a recognised international expert in this area Dr Megson regularly contributes to expert witness reports for large (>$100 million) litigation cases involving environmental pollution in North America. His current research group includes 6 PhD students and 2 post-doctoral researchers. He has attracted >£4.5 million of research funding since his appointment as a lecturer in 2016. Recently he has been investigating the scale of PFAS pollution in the UK and has published papers investigating releases from industrial sites and wastewater treatment plants.
Geraint Williams is Associate Technical Director at HKA, a global consultancy in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support. He is chair of the Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) Contaminated Land Working Group. Geraint was co-author of C819, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) good practice guidance on PFAS in soil and the water environment. He is actively engaged in the NICOLE professional network in Europe, leading the PFAS analytical working group. Geraint previously served on the Executive Committee of the Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA) and participated in specialist groups including SoBRA’s vapour intrusion subgroup. Geraint also serves on EH/4, British Standards Technical Committee on Soil Quality. He is a member of the National Brownfield Forum, established by DCLG (now MHCLG) and DEFRA in 2011.
IET 36.2 Mar/Apr 2026
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