Results of Biological Sampling Letter

PrtApndxG1_RsultsLttrBiolgcSmplng 20181012.docx

Per- or Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Exposure Assessments (PFAS EAs)

Results of Biological Sampling Letter

OMB: 0923-0059

Document [docx]
Download: docx | pdf

Appendix G1: Results Letter for Biological Sampling

PFAS Exposure Assessment

Example Result Letter, Biological Sampling

[Insert Date]



[Name

Address

City, State, Zip code]



Dear [Insert Name],

Thank you for being a part of the [Insert State Health Department] PFAS exposure assessment. We tested your blood and urine for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We are grateful for the time and effort you gave to this project. This letter is to give you your test results along with what they mean. You may share these results with your doctor if you would like – it’s your choice. Research to better understand the health effects associated with PFAS exposure is ongoing, but scientists are not currently certain of how PFAS levels in the blood can affect a person’s health. More research is needed to clarify the risks posed by PFAS exposure.

The Results of Your Blood Test

Table 1 provides a list of all the specific PFAS that we measured in your blood. The table also lists the acronyms for the PFAS.

Table 2 shows the concentration of specific PFAS we found in your blood. The table also shows range of PFAS levels for people in the United States, namely, the geometric mean and 95th percentile values, when available.

Table 3 shows your results compared to results from other members in your community who also participated in this assessment. Your result is in units of micrograms per liter (µg/L). One µg/L equals one part per billion, equivalent to about one drop of ink in a large tanker ship.

The Results of Your Urine Test (Include only if urine sampling was conducted)

Table 4 provides a list of all the specific PFAS that we measured in your urine. The table also lists the acronyms for the PFAS.



Table 5 shows the concentration of specific PFAS we found in your urine. The table also shows range of PFAS levels for people in the United States, namely, the geometric mean and 95th percentile values, when available.

Table 6 shows your results compared to results from other members in your community who also participated in this assessment. Your result is in units of micrograms per liter (µg/L). One µg/L equals one part per billion, equivalent to about one drop of ink in a large tanker ship.

A Little Help Interpreting the Results

Tables 25 provide a lot of information. To fully understand all this information, you need to know about a survey called NHANES (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).

Every year, the CDC examines about 5,000 people from across the country. As part of the survey, CDC takes blood and urine samples and tests them for chemicals like PFAS (among other things) in a subset of the overall group. The NHANES blood and urine tests for PFAS chemicals come from a representative sample of members of the U.S. population (age 12 and older).

Having a representative sample of the U.S. population means NHANES helps CDC estimate, for example, the levels of PFAS in the U.S. population. That is how we can compare the results of your blood and urine tests to reference values for people in the United States.

Now, let’s talk about interpreting your results, presented in Tables 25. The diagrams below should help you understand the data we are giving you.

Shape2 Shape1

This column shows the geometric mean of results from the 2013–2014 NHANES survey (Table 2) or your community (Table 3).

This column lists all the different chemicals (PFAS) that we measured in your blood.



Shape4 Shape3

PFAS

Your Level

in µg/L

Geometric Mean

in µg/L

95th percentile

in µg/L

PFBuS

[insert level]

*

< 0.1**

Shape8 Shape7 Shape5 Shape6

This column shows the 95th percentile of results from the 2013–2014 NHANES survey (Table 2) or your community (Table 3).

This column shows the concentration that we found in your blood.









A couple of important notes:

  • If your PFAS result is in bold, then it exceeds the reference value (95th percentile). This means that your result is higher than what is measured in most people in the United States.

  • If your result is not bold, then it does not exceed the reference value (95th percentile) and does not higher than what is measured in most people in the United States.



PFAS

Acronym

Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid

PFBuS

Perfluorodecanoic acid

PFDeA

Perfluorododecanoic acid

PFDoA

Perfluoroheptanoic acid

PFHpA

Perfluorohexane sulfonate

PFHxS

Perfluorononanoic acid

PFNA

Perfluorooctanoic acid

PFOA

Perfluorooctane sulfonate

PFOS

Perfluorooctane sulfonamide

PFOSA

2-(N-Ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate

Et-PFOSA-AcOH

2-(N-Methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate

Me-PFOSA-AcOH

Perfluoroundecanoic acid

PFUA

Table 1: List of measured PFAS measured in blood and corresponding acronyms









Table 2: Your PFAS blood levels compared to what has been measured in the general U.S. Population

PFAS

Your Level

in µg/L

U.S. population Geometric Mean

in µg/La

U.S. Population 95th percentile in µg/La

PFBuS

[insert level]

*

< 0.1**

PFDeA


0.185

0.700

PFDoA


*

0.200

PFHpA


*

0.200

PFHxS


1.35

5.60

PFNA


0.675

2.00

PFOA


1.94

5.57

PFOS


4.99

18.5

PFOSA


*

<0.1**

Et-PFOSA-AcOH


*

0.110

Me-PFOSA-AcOH


*

0.600

PFUA


*

0.500

Note: Above results from NHANES 2013-2014, except PFOSA and Et-PFOSA-AcOH which are from 2011-2012.
ND – Not detected.* Geometric mean was not calculated because not enough people had results that were detectable. **95
th percentile was below the limit of detection, 0.1 µg/L.

aSource: CDC. The National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, Updated Tables, February 2017. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/





Table 3: Your PFAS blood levels compared to other people who participated in this assessment from [insert community name]

PFAS

Your Level (µg/L)

Geometric Mean in µg/L (# participants)


95th percentile in your community in µg/L


PFBuS

[insert level]

[insert mean]

[insert value]

PFDeA




PFDoA




PFHpA




PFHxS




PFNA




PFOA




PFOS




PFOSA




Et-PFOSA-AcOH




Me-PFOSA-AcOH




PFUA




ND- Not detected.







(Only include Tables 4-6 if urine sampling was conducted.)

PFAS

Acronym

Sodium Perfluoro-1-Propanesulfonate

PFPrS

Potassium Perfluoro 1-Butanesulfonate

PFBS

Sodium Perfluoro-1-Heptanesulfonate

PFHpS

Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid

PFHxS

Sodium Perfluoro-1-Octanesulfonate

n-PFOS

Mixture Of Sodium Perfluoro-5-Methylheptane Sulfonate Isomers

Sm-PFOS

Perfluorobutanoate

PFBA

Perfluoropentanoate

PFPeA

Perfluorohexanoate

PFHxA

Perfluoroheptanoate

PFHpA

Ammonium Perfluorooctanoate

n-PFOA

Mixture Of Perfluoro-5-Methylheptanoic Acid Isomers

Sb-PFOA

Perfluorononanoic Acid

PFNA

Perfluorodecanoic Acid

PFDA

Perfluoroundecanoic Acid

PFUnDA

Ammonium Salt Of 2,3,3,3,-Tetrafluoro-2-(1,1,2,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropoxy)-Propanoate

HFPO-DA (GenX)

Dodecafluoro-3H-4,8-Dioxanoate

DONA

9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-Oxanonane-1-Sulfonate

9Cl-PF3ONS

Table 4: List of measured PFAS measured in urine and corresponding acronyms





Table 5: Your PFAS urine levels compared to what has been measured in the general U.S. Population

PFAS

Your Level

in µg/L

U.S. population Geometric Mean

in µg/La

U.S. Population 95th percentile in µg/La

PFPrS

[insert level]



PFBS




PFHpS




PFHxS




n-PFOS




Sm-PFOS




PFBA




PFPeA




PFHxA




PFHpA




n-PFOA




Sb-PFOA




PFNA




PFDA




PFUnDA




HFPO-DA (GenX)




DONA




9Cl-PF3ONS




Note: Above results from NHANES 20132014, except PFOSA and Et-PFOSA-AcOH which are from 20112012.
ND – Not detected.* Geometric mean was not calculated because not enough people had results that were detectable. **95
th percentile was below the limit of detection, 0.1 µg/L.







Table 6: Your PFAS urine levels and the range of PFAS urine levels found in other people in your community who were tested.

PFAS

Your Level (µg/L)

Range of levels in study participants (µg/L)

PFPrS



PFBS



PFHpS



PFHxS



n-PFOS



Sm-PFOS



PFBA



PFPeA



PFHxA



PFHpA



n-PFOA



Sb-PFOA



PFNA



PFDA



PFUnDA



HFPO-DA (GenX)



DONA



9Cl-PF3ONS



ND – Not detected





What Do These Results Mean to Your Health?

These results tell you how much PFAS is currently present in your body from all sources combined, such as water, food, and other environmental sources. You can compare your results with others from your community and also people across the United States.

Scientists are not sure about the health effects of human exposure to PFAS. Some studies in humans have shown that certain PFAS may affect the developing fetus and child, including possible changes in growth, learning, and behavior. In addition, PFAS may decrease fertility and interfere with the body’s natural hormones, increase cholesterol, affect the immune system, and possibly increase cancer risk.

While scientific research on PFAS is growing, for now these test results cannot tell you:

  • If a current health problem is related to the PFAS levels found in your body.

  • If the PFAS levels in your body will make you sick now or later in life.

  • How and where you were exposed.

  • When or how often you were exposed.

  • How long the exposure lasted.

  • How much of the chemical you were exposed to.

Your results, when combined with others, may help us better understand any potential health risks from PFAS exposure in the future.

What about Your Exposure? [Include only one category below]

[Use for results below reference values compared to NHANES or community]

  • Your sample showed that your PFAS levels are within the values of what has been reported for people living in US or in the [insert community name] community.

  • Please see the included handouts for more information about PFAS and how to reduce your exposure.

[Use for results above reference values compared to NHANES or community]

  • While your results were above the 95% percentile found in the people living in the United States or in the [insert community name], it is important to remember that scientists do not know what these levels mean in terms of affecting your health, if at all.

  • Please see the included handouts for more information about PFAS and how to reduce your exposure.



Next Steps

Please call [phone number] to discuss any questions you may have. Your personal test results will be kept private and confidential. Your results may be combined with other participants in your community and used in a summary report; however, no one will be able to identify you.

More Information

  • If you or your doctor have any medically related questions about these results or wish to further discuss these results, please contact [name] by phone [number] or email [email].

  • For additional information about PFAS from [DOH], please visit [web address].

  • For additional information about PFAS from the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, please visit: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html.

  • For additional information about PFAS from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/research-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas.

Thank you again for being part of the PFAS assessment.



File Typeapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
AuthorWorley, Rachel R. (ATSDR/DCHI/SSB)
File Modified0000-00-00
File Created2021-01-20

© 2024 OMB.report | Privacy Policy