- Directed at individuals who may be at risk of elevated PFAS
exposure, the new test detects and measures PFAS identified by
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
- Organizations interested in workforce, community, and research
population testing may also access the test
SECAUCUS, N.J., Feb. 12,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:
DGX), the world's leader in diagnostic information services, today
announced the availability of the first 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," said
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."
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.
The new test from Quest features several unique innovations. It
is the first PFAS blood test 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.
About PFAS
PFAS are synthetic chemicals widely used in
thousands of industrial and consumer products and which may enter
the body through contaminated food and water. While there is no
current medical treatment available to reduce PFAS levels,
individuals can take steps to limit or reduce their exposure.
PFAS chemicals are associated with $22
billion in healthcare costs, according to a study published
in the Journal of the Endocrine Society[1]. Some individuals are at
increased risk of prolonged exposure due to certain environmental
and occupational factors. This includes firefighters, people living
near industrial locations such as manufacturing plants, military
bases, and airports, and those living in communities with known
PFAS environmental contamination. According to the Environmental
Working Group, more than 4,600 communities across the U.S. are at
risk, as of August 2023.
Human health effects from exposure to low environmental levels
of PFAS are uncertain. More research is needed to assess the human
health effects of exposure to PFAS. Finding PFAS in an individual's
blood does not mean that the levels of PFAS harmed the individual's
health. For more information about PFAS chemicals see:
- CDC: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Your
Health.
- EPA: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
Consumer-Initiated Testing with a Physician
Consult
The PFAS (Forever Chemicals) Test Panel is available
for individuals to purchase directly on questhealth.com. Unlike
traditional direct-to-consumer tests, each test involves physician
oversight and consultation on request with a licensed physician.
Specifically, when an individual purchases a PFAS test online, a
physician from PWNHealth, an independent, third-party physician
network, will review the request and place an order. Once the order
is submitted, an individual can schedule an appointment for a blood
draw at a Quest Diagnostics patient service center. When testing is
completed, results are provided in an easy-to-read report on a
secure patient portal. An individual may then request a separate
telephone consult with a PWNHealth physician to review the results.
In addition, a PWNHealth care coordinator will actively contact any
individual whose test results suggest elevated PFAS exposure
(20ng/mL or higher) to recommend a physician consultation.
A Solution for Population Testing Public Health Departments,
Employers, Military Sites, Municipalities, and other
Organizations
Quest is also offering the PFAS test panel on
a limited basis to organizations seeking to provide PFAS testing
for workforce, community, research, and other population-based
testing. For additional information about B2B testing program,
interested parties may contact Quest Diagnostics at
PFAStesting@questdiagnostics.com.
*PFAS blood testing does not identify the sources of a person's
exposure or predict future health outcomes. This test assesses PFAS
levels at the time of the blood sample collection. This PFAS test
is not intended for use in the diagnosis of any disease or other
conditions, or for use in the cure, mitigation, or treatment of any
disease or condition. Only a physician can diagnose a health
condition or outcome. This test is not appropriate for forensic
use. Not available for purchase in AK, AZ, HI, or NY.
** In January 2024, the CDC
provided new information on its website that recognizes the value
of PFAS blood testing by a CLIA-certified laboratory. As knowledge
and guidelines about PFAS ("forever chemicals") and PFAS testing
continue to evolve, questhealth.com may update its test offering
accordingly.
About Quest
Quest, through questhealth.com,
empowers consumers by making affordable, high-quality, trusted
healthcare easy. With innovative tools, we give consumers more
control over their own healthcare journeys and meet them where they
are, supporting both consumers and their care teams. Our
consumer-initiated test service allows people access to the same
quality lab tests used by doctors and hospitals, providing the
information and insights they need about their health. With more
than 75+ lab tests available at questhealth.com, from general
health profiles to tests for conditions ranging from heart health
to sexually transmitted diseases, consumers can shop, schedule test
appointments, and access results securely from a phone or
computer.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers
people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the
world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic
insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire
healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. Quest annually
serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and
hospitals in the United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees
understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our
diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform
lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com
Quest® is the brand name used for services offered by Quest
Diagnostics Incorporated and its affiliated companies. Quest
Diagnostics Incorporated and certain affiliates are CLIA-certified
laboratories that provide HIPAA-covered services. Other affiliates
operated under the Quest® brand, such as Quest Consumer Inc., do
not provide HIPAA-covered services.
1 Leonardo Trasande, Roopa Krithivasan, Kevin
Park, Vladislav Obsekov, Michael
Belliveau, Chemicals Used in Plastic Materials: An Estimate
of the Attributable Disease Burden and Costs in the United
States, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 8,
Issue 2, February 2024,
bvad163, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvad163
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics