In China's 14th Five Year Plan and 2035 Vision Goal Outline, "attaching importance to the treatment of new pollutants" has become a major strategic requirement for national development. Due to the characteristics of wide sources, low concentrations, high risks, and difficult treatment of new pollutants,Comprehensively analyzing and detecting new pollutants in different environmental media in China has significant economic, social, and ecological significance.

Non target screening based on high-resolution mass spectrometry has become a key means of identifying new pollutants in complex environmental media. However,Previously, China lacked national standards and environmental industry standards related to non target screening of new pollutants.This situation seriously restricts the promotion and application of this technology, hinders the cultivation of detection technology talents, and is not conducive to the future development of new pollutant control work in China.

In this context,Led by Fu Jianjie, a researcher from the Ecological Environment Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Research of the United Nations University of Science and Technology, China Environmental Monitoring Station, Beijing Normal University, Thermo Fisher Technology (China) Co., LtdWe have carried out the development of group standards for non target screening technology specifications for new pollutants in environmental multimedia.On June 27, 2025, the Technical Specification for Non target Screening of Environmental Multi medium New Pollutants by Gas Chromatography/Liquid Chromatography Tandem High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (T/CSES 206-2025) was officially released by the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences.

Announcement Letter of Formal Release of Group Standards

The standard review expert group unanimously agreed that:

This standard is the first standard in China to standardize the non target screening technology for new pollutants in the field of ecological environment, which can provide technical reference for the screening and identification of new pollutants in China's multi-media environment. The release of this group standard is expected to promote the rapid and in-depth application of non target screening technology in the field of new pollutant detection, effectively resolving the urgent problems faced by regulatory personnel and frontline researchers in non target screening, such as "technical deficiencies" and "lack of regulations to follow", and improving the efficiency of new pollutant analysis and detection.

As the first authoritative technical specification in China specifically for high-resolution mass spectrometry non target screening of new pollutants, this standard has milestone significance, and its core highlights include:

01

Unified ruler:

For the first time, the complete non target screening process from sample collection, pre-processing, high-resolution mass spectrometry data collection (LC/GC-HRMS), data processing (suspected target, non target strategy), structural identification to quality control has been systematically standardized, solving the pain point of the industry's long-term lack of unified technical specifications.

02

Widely applicable:

Clear non target screening for new pollutants in various environmental media samples such as water bodies, sediments (soil), and organisms provides a standardized solution for comprehensive "physical examination" of unknown pollutants in complex environmental systems.

03

Clear technical roadmap:

The standard core relies on liquid/gas chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/GC-HRMS) technology, establishing a unified non target screening technology route.

04

Propose confidence level grading:

Relying on a 5-level confidence evaluation system, ensure the reliability of screening results.

05

Rigorous quality control system:

A quality assurance and quality control system has been established, covering key aspects such as blank control, recovery rate evaluation, instrument calibration, quality control samples, and matrix effect evaluation.

Thermo Fisher Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry platform collaborates with "standards" to establish a benchmark for non target screening of new pollutants in the industry

Orbitrap Exploris LC/MS high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

ultra-high resolutionReaching 480000 FWHM with m/z=200, it maintains stability over a wide mass range and accurately analyzes isotope peaks and co outflows in complex matrices. The quality accuracy is less than 1ppm, providing a highly reliable basis for molecular formula inference.

Single injectionCapture the complete spectrum（Full Scan-ddMS² & DIA）， The positive and negative modes automatically switch quickly to meet the data requirements of the entire screening and identification process.

Excellent stabilityIn the case of simultaneous positive and negative data collection, the quality deviation is less than 1ppm for 7 consecutive days, which reduces maintenance costs while ensuring the reliability of the results.

Orbitrap Exploris GC/MS high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

ultra-high resolution(up to 240000 FWHM, m/z=200) and sub ppm quality accuracy provide assurance for accurate qualitative results.

Full Scan mode combined with sub ppt level ultra-high sensitivityCapture all ion information without the need for pre-set targets, enabling trace analysis of new pollutants in complex matrices.

Intelligent high-resolution data processing workflowBy combining methods such as predicting the mechanism of unknown object fragmentation and retention index, we can tackle more complex non target screening analysis.

Compound Discoverer software:

One stop non target analysis platform

Flexible combination of data processing nodesQuickly complete spectrum analysis, peak recognition, and spectral library matching.

Automatically screen primary parent ions, isotopes, and secondary fragments by associating cloud spectral libraries and local spectral libraries, including relying onThe world's largest LC-MS high-resolution fragment spectrum library, mzCloudBy utilizing MS ⁿ data with rich chemical diversity, ensure high confidence in component identification.

built-inFeature fragmentation, feature neutrality loss, quality loss, molecular networks, etcMultiple algorithms are used to achieve non target analysis that does not rely on databases. At the same time, the innovative mzLogic algorithm achieves precise characterization of compounds through multi-dimensional and multi-path approaches.

High resolution mass spectrometry data processing and non target screening workflow using Compound Discoverer software

Conclusion:

The release and implementation of the "Technical Specification for Non Target Screening of New Environmental Pollutants by Gas Chromatography/Liquid Chromatography Tandem High Resolution Mass Spectrometry" marks a new stage of standardization and precision in the screening and treatment of new pollutants in China,This fills the gap in the standard methods for high-resolution mass spectrometry non target screening in the field of ecological environment, providing authoritative technical guidance for new pollutant screening, risk assessment, and traceability research. Thermo Fisher provides solid support for standard practice with the excellent performance of the Orbitrap ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry platformIn the future, Thermo Fisher will continue to drive industry standard upgrades with innovative technology, empower the overall improvement of new pollutant discovery, identification, and control capabilities, and contribute to the comprehensive promotion of the "Beautiful China Construction"!

Expert Introduction

Fu Jianjie

Researcher of the National Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology of the Ecological Environment Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Secretary of the General Party Branch of the School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, outstanding member of the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, doctoral supervisor. He has presided over multiple national and provincial-level projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Outstanding Youth Science Fund, National Key R&D Special Project, Zhejiang Province Leading Goose Project, and Xinjiang Autonomous Region Key R&D Project. He has published over 130 SCI papers, including more than 40 Environment. Sci. Technol. papers, and has been cited over 7000 times. The main research directions are new pollutant analysis methods, environmental behavior, and health effects.

All participating units and personnel:

Ecological Environment Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Fu Jianjie), Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Research of the University of Science and Technology of China (Li Pengyang, Huang Kai, Zhu Bao, Fu Jie, Zhu Guohua), China Environmental Monitoring Station (Wang Yeyao, Jin Xiaowei, Yin Kun, Xu Chi), Beijing Normal University (Zhang Botao), Thermo Fisher Technology (China) Co., Ltd. (Che Jinshui).

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