As concerns over environmental pollution continue to grow worldwide, scientists are racing to better understand a group of contaminants that have become one of the greatest challenges facing ecosystems and public health today.
Per- and polyfluoroalky substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as "forever chemicals," are found in thousands of everyday products, from non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing to food packaging and firefighting foams.
Their remarkable resistance to heat, water, and degradation has made them indispensable to modern industry, but that same durability allows them to persist in the environment for decades, contaminating rivers, lakes, wildlife, and even drinking water supplies across the globe.
Among the researchers contributing to this global effort is Tinovimba Hove, a data scientist whose work is helping scientists uncover PFAS compounds that have remained hidden using conventional environmental monitoring techniques.
Working with researchers at Clarkson University's Centre for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Sciences (CAARES), Hove combines advanced analytical chemistry with computational data analysis to better understand how these persistent pollutants move through aquatic ecosystems and where previously unidentified PFAS may be accumulating.
At the heart of Hove's research is a simple but important question: How much of the PFAS contamination in the environment remains undiscovered? While environmental agencies routinely monitor a number of well-known PFAS compounds, scientists estimate that thousands of fluorinated chemicals exist, many of which have never been fully identified or studied.
Traditional laboratory methods are designed to detect chemicals that scientists already know exist. However, they often fail to identify emerging or previously unknown compounds that may also pose risks to ecosystems and human health. "Environmental contamination is far more complex than the chemicals we currently monitor," Hove explains.
"The challenge isn't just measuring what we already know. It's discovering what we don't know yet. Every new compound we identify helps us build a clearer picture of the environment and strengthens our ability to protect it."
To address this challenge, Hove's research investigated PFAS contamination in fish collected from National Parks across the eastern United States.
The study analysed liver samples from several fish species, including Atlantic salmon, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and northern pike.
Because fish accumulate contaminants throughout their lives, they serve as important indicators of long-term environmental pollution, allowing researchers to better understand how chemicals move through aquatic ecosystems.
Rather than relying solely on traditional targeted analysis, which searches for a predetermined list of chemicals, the research combined targeted analysis with non-targeted analytical techniques using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).
This approach enabled the team to investigate not only well-known PFAS such as PFOS but also previously unidentified fluorinated compounds that conventional methods might overlook.
Sophisticated computational workflows were then used to process thousands of molecular signals, allowing researchers to distinguish potential PFAS from other naturally occurring compounds.
The findings revealed that contamination extends well beyond the PFAS compounds routinely monitored today.
While PFOS remained the dominant known PFAS detected in many samples, the non-targeted analysis uncovered numerous previously unidentified fluorinated compounds distributed across multiple National Parks.
The study found that fish collected from Isle Royale National Park exhibited the greatest diversity of unknown fluorinated compounds, while samples from Acadia National Park contained some of the highest concentrations of these emerging contaminants.
Northern pike displayed the highest variety of unknown PFAS among the species analyzed, highlighting how different aquatic organisms may accumulate contaminants in different ways.
The significance of these findings extends beyond individual parks or fish species. They demonstrate that environmental contamination cannot be fully understood by monitoring only chemicals that have already been identified.
Unknown PFAS continue to circulate through aquatic environments, yet many remain invisible to conventional analytical methods.
By combining advanced instrumentation with data-driven analysis, Hove's research is helping scientists identify contaminants that could otherwise remain undetected.
The growing role of data science has become an important part of this work. Modern analytical instruments generate enormous volumes of chemical data, making computational approaches essential for identifying meaningful patterns hidden within thousands of molecular signals.
As a data scientist, Hove applies computational methods alongside analytical chemistry to improve the identification and interpretation of environmental contaminants, demonstrating how data science is becoming increasingly important in addressing complex environmental challenges.
Beyond advancing scientific understanding, the research contributes to a broader goal of environmental sustainability.
More comprehensive identification of PFAS can strengthen environmental monitoring programs, support regulatory agencies as they evaluate emerging contaminants, and improve strategies aimed at protecting freshwater ecosystems and public health.
As countries around the world continue to develop policies addressing PFAS contamination, the ability to detect previously unknown compounds will become increasingly important for informed environmental decision-making.
The impact of Hove's research was recognised at Clarkson University's Research and Project Showcase, where the project received the Sustainability-Based Poster Presentation Award in Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental Science and Engineering on April 11, 2025.
The award recognized the project's contribution to advancing sustainable environmental research through innovative approaches to identifying emerging contaminants.
For Hove, however, the recognition represents something greater than an academic achievement. "Research has the power to create lasting impact," Hove says.
"Every advancement in our ability to identify environmental contaminants gives us a better opportunity to protect ecosystems, safeguard public health, and support future generations. Being part of that effort is what makes this work so meaningful."
As PFAS continues to emerge as one of the defining environmental issues of the twenty-first century, scientists are increasingly looking beyond the contaminants they already know to uncover those that remain hidden.
Through the integration of analytical chemistry, environmental science, and data science, Hove is contributing to that effort, helping expand our understanding of forever chemicals and providing new tools to better protect the world's aquatic ecosystems.
The fight against PFAS is far from over, but every new discovery brings scientists one step closer to understanding the full scope of these persistent pollutants.
In a world where environmental challenges are becoming increasingly complex, research that reveals what was once invisible may prove to be one of the most powerful tools for protecting both nature and human health.