Metals, toxins and medication
PFOS
PFOS in blood shows that you have been exposed in the past; it does not predict health problems.
Everything about this testWhat it measures
The test measures how much PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is in your blood. PFOS belongs to the PFAS, a group of man-made substances that hardly break down and build up in the body. PFOS used to be used, among other things, in firefighting foam and in stain- and water-repellent coatings on textiles and paper. Its use is banned in the European Union for many applications. Almost everyone in the Netherlands has a measurable amount of PFAS in their blood, mainly taken in through food and drinking water.
- Exposure to PFOS in the past, through food, drinking water or the living environment
- Higher than average exposure, for example through work or living near a source of PFAS
High
A higher value means that you took in more PFOS than average in the past. This can be due to eating food from your own garden or your own chickens in a contaminated area, fish from certain waters, drinking water or work. The level of the value does not show whether this will make you ill or has made you ill. There is no treatment that removes PFAS from the body.
Low
A low value means that you took in less PFOS than average. The body does not need PFAS, so a low result is not a deficiency. Almost everyone has a measurable amount, so a value of zero is unusual.
If your result is abnormal
There is no standard follow-up testing and no treatment that lowers the value. With symptoms, the GP will look for other, treatable causes; advice about exposure in your own surroundings is given by the GGD (municipal public health service).
Reliability
The RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) writes that blood tests for PFAS show how much PFAS is in the blood now and that someone has been exposed in the past. Based on what is known now, a PFAS value in blood cannot predict whether someone will get health problems later, and an existing symptom cannot be linked to it either. For one person without symptoms, a single value therefore says little.
Limitations
- PFAS leave the body very slowly; the result is the sum of years of exposure and does not change quickly.
- There are no agreed limit values that indicate when a value is medically meaningful.
- Laboratories measure different PFAS and use different methods; results from different labs are hard to compare.
- A result for PFOS says nothing about the dozens of other PFAS that are not measured.
How common is this
PFAS are present in small amounts in the soil, the surface water and the blood of almost all people in the Netherlands. In some areas the exposure is higher, for example around factories that used PFAS. How many people get health problems as a result is not known.
Who is this useful for
A PFAS measurement mainly says something as the average of a group, for example residents around a source of PFAS, and little about one person. For one person without symptoms, the result gives no basis for treatment or for a statement about health. If you are worried about PFAS in your own surroundings, you can contact the Environment and Health department of the GGD (municipal public health service).
Downsides and risks
- The result can cause worry while there is nothing you can do to lower the value or the risk.
- A value that is higher than average can wrongly be seen as the explanation for existing symptoms.
Sources
Always discuss an abnormal result with your GP. If a result is strongly abnormal, we try to reach you as soon as possible. Read your result yourself as well and contact your GP if in doubt. A test does not make a diagnosis. Read more about risks and results