LUXEMBOURG– Today, Eurofins (Paris:ERF) subsidiary empowerDX has launched PFAS Exposure™ in the United States, the first direct to consumer at-home test to determine levels of PFAS in a person’s blood and measure 47 of the PFAS “forever chemical” compounds.
Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS), such as PFOA and PFOS, known as “forever chemicals”, characteristically resist natural breakdown in the environment and human bodies. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that exposure to these chemicals may cause adverse health effects, such as cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, elevated cholesterol, respiratory disease, and decreased fertility. One report by the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.
The identification of PFAS through blood testing is a significant milestone. PFAS Exposure™, developed by Eurofins Environment Testing companies and their research partners, and being launched in the U.S by empowerDX, is a self-administered sampling kit, which is the first of its kind and uses a simple finger prick. To date, testing for PFAS in blood has relied on serum as an estimation for whole blood and required a blood draw conducted by a healthcare practitioner. Eurofins’ PFAS Exposure™ collection kits are an all-in-one solution that include the essentials for collection and transport, allowing participants to self-collect samples at home or work, and submit them directly to the laboratory.
