It’s easy to panic when you read all the negative headlines about PFAS. This family of chemicals is proven to cause cancer, liver disease, high cholesterol, and many other health problems. Yet at the same time, the CDC tells us that well over 90% of the population has some level of PFAS in their blood. That suggests most people don’t suffer any serious effects from PFAS exposure. Here, we explore how PFAS tests can help give you peace of mind.
Brief explainer on PFAS
If you already know about PFAS, you can skip this bit. If not, here’s a brief explainer about these chemicals.
PFAS is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. That’s the fancy name for things like PTFE. These chemicals are used pretty much anywhere where you want something to be:
- Waterproof
- Non-stick
- Low-friction
- Stain-resistant
- Greaseproof
Think of brands like Teflon® and Scotchgard®, which were historically made with PFAS. Nowadays, you are most likely to find PFAS in non-stick cookware, fast-food packaging (especially if it’s made of paper or cardboard), stain-resistant furniture, and waterproof clothing.
Health effects of PFAS
Almost every month it seems we see another study linking PFAS chemicals with serious health issues. The list is certainly getting very long now. Among the more serious health effects are:
- Kidney, pancreatic, and testicular cancers
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Premature birth
- Immune system disorders
Additionally, PFAS is linked with chronic issues such as ulcerative colitis and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol).
Why you shouldn’t panic about PFAS
PFAS is pretty much endemic in the environment and general population due to its widespread use over recent decades. That’s because these chemicals are remarkably long-lasting and hard to break down. Indeed, they are often called “forever chemicals” as a result. What this means is that as they leach into the environment as pollution, the levels steadily build up and up. Likewise, as you eat and drink from containers coated with PFAS, or drink water polluted with it, the level builds up in your body. The fancy term for this is “bioaccumulation”.
This might sound pretty scary. If there’s this much PFAS around and it is building up and up, surely we are all doomed to suffer from the ill effects?! Fortunately, PFAS chemicals are not quite so toxic as that. It takes a prolonged high exposure to see any serious effects. And for most people, there will be no serious problems. However, a small percentage of people do have really high levels of PFAS. And others are at increased risk due to genetics, lifestyle, existing medical conditions, etc. The only way to put your mind at rest is to get tested.
Still worried? Time to get a test!
We developed our at-home PFAS test to help people better understand their PFAS exposure. Most companies just give you a list of results for PFAS compounds they detected. A few will also let you know if that is above average or not. We decided to go a bit further.
Compare your results against the US population
Our app shows you how your results compare against the US population. We use data from NHANES, a long-running CDC biomonitoring program that includes testing people for PFAS. Knowing how you compare with the general population helps you put your own levels in context. We use the latest released data from the NHANES study to provide you with a visualization of exactly how you compare.
Understand your risk
We also show your PFAS risk relative to the advice given by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). They published detailed guidance on PFAS risks and health effects. We use this to calculate your exposure level. This should also help reassure you (assuming you aren’t one of the small number of people with high levels of PFAS).
What else can you do about PFAS?
If you are still worried about PFAS exposure, you can also get a test to check for PFAS in your drinking water. There are also an increasing range of PFAS-free products out there. However, since “PFAS-free” isn’t a regulated term, you need to be a little cautious that it’s not just marketing.
One way to be certain is to avoid products that ever contain PFAS. For example, replace any nonstick cookware with stainless steel or cast iron. Choose to use your own thermal mug for take out coffee rather than the cup provided. Or check product lists from sites like Mamavation that regularly test products for potential PFAS.
