[Blog] Should I get a blood test for PFAS (“forever chemicals”)?

By Chana Davis | The Nerdy Girls | August 2, 2024

Read the full article by Chana Davis (The Nerdy Girls)

"Testing your blood for PFAS (“forever chemicals”) is not recommended for most people. However, for the small fraction of people with a history of high PFAS exposure, the potential benefits of testing may outweigh the harms. PFAS blood tests can flag unusually high blood levels of these chemicals or offer peace of mind, but they have major limitations: they don’t guide treatment or predict future health issues, are difficult to interpret, and can cause extra stress.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of persistent “forever chemicals” used to make products that resist heat, water, and grease. They’re in non-stick cookware (e.g.Teflon), textiles (e.g. Scotchgard), food packaging, firefighting foams, cosmetics, and much more. The PFAS family includes thousands of chemicals that each have unique applications and safety profiles.

You may recognize PFAS from news about the US EPA’s new limits on drinking water or stories about industry cover ups of potential health effects. As discussed in previous posts, these chemicals may contribute to health concerns in high-risk populations, but for most people, their impact is likely subtle at best. The health risks posed by each PFAS is impossible to pinpoint, because researchers rely on observational studies (do people with more exposure have more health issues?), which can’t prove cause-and-effect relationships due to confounding."