Quest Diagnostics, a provider of diagnostic information services, announced the availability of a consumer-initiated, physician-ordered blood-draw test for PFAS chemicals with the option to confer over the phone with a physician about the results.

Available at questhealth.com, the new test, PFAS (Forever Chemicals) Test Panel, is performed by Quest Diagnostics to identify the level of potentially harmful chemicals called per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) – also known as “forever chemicals” because they can accumulate and linger in the environment and body.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health effects potentially associated with PFAS exposure include increases in cholesterol levels, decreases in birth weight, lower antibody response to vaccines, kidney and testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and changes in liver enzymes.

“Scientists and the general public are increasingly aware that PFAS may be dangerous to human health, but access to quality, convenient testing to assess exposure is limited,” says Jack Kain, PharmD, director and medical science liaison of Drug Monitoring and Toxicology, Quest Diagnostics. “Our PFAS blood test is based on the latest science and aligns with several facets of new CDC guidance as well as recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Not everyone needs a PFAS test, but people at high risk of elevated exposure may benefit from greater access to the insights provided by this novel test.”

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Testing may be right for people who likely have had elevated exposure to PFAS. These may include people who have been exposed to PFAS while on the job, such as firefighters, or who used a water supply near a commercial or industrial location, as well as those living near a facility that manufactures fluorochemicals or areas of documented PFAS environmental contamination.

Features of the PFAS Chemicals Test

The new test from Quest features several unique innovations, according to the company. The PFAS blood test is available as a consumer-initiated test with physician consult to report a sum of PFAS chemicals based on level of health risks identified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The physician consultation, available to any individual who purchases the test, involves a telephone discussion between the individual and a third-party licensed physician about the results. In addition to providing personalized results, each easy-to-read test report includes information on ways to reduce exposure risk and can be shared with a personal physician.

The test is also widely available; individuals can visit most of Quest’s approximately 2,100 patient service centers in the U.S. for a blood draw*.

In addition to offering the test to consumers, Quest is making the test available via B2B channels for organizations seeking workforce, community, or research-based testing for at-risk populations due to concerns about elevated PFAS exposures. The company plans to introduce a version of the test specifically for physicians to aid patient care later this year.

PFAS Testing Based on the Latest Science

In recent years, a growing body of science has revealed potential health risks of exposure to PFAS. In July 2022, NASEM recommended offering PFAS testing to patients who are likely to have a history of elevated exposure.

The Quest test aligns with several recommendations from NASEM on PFAS testing, including:

  • Use of serum or plasma blood specimens (blood taken from an arm) instead of capillary blood specimens (from a fingerstick).
  • Quantifying levels of several specific PFAS chemicals identified for potential health risks.
  • Reporting the sum of those levels by three general risk categories.

According to NASEM, individuals whose results are in the third, or highest, category (levels of 20 ng/mL or above) may benefit from additional medical care, such as thyroid function testing and assessment of signs of kidney and testicular cancer. While most individuals have some level of PFAS exposure, an estimated 9% of Americans have PFAS levels of 20 ng/mL or higher, typically due to environmental or occupational exposure.

In January 2024, the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry unveiled updated guidance to help providers and patients consider PFAS blood testing, based largely on the NASEM recommendations.