Linear PFOS (n-PFOS), or Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, is one of the specific PFAS (Forever Chemicals) measured in the PFAS (Forever Chemicals) 9 Panel by Quest Diagnostics. It is a type of perfluorinated alkyl substance (PFAS), a group of human-made chemicals known for their resilience to heat, water, oil, and stains. These chemicals have been used in numerous consumer and industrial products for their unique properties, but their persistence in both the environment and human body has raised concerns about potential health risks. Linear PFOS is one of the two main forms of PFOS (the other being the branched isomer), and it plays a significant role in assessing overall PFAS exposure.
Linear PFOS is the straight-chain form of PFOS, a perfluorinated chemical that consists of eight carbon atoms attached to a sulfonic acid group (-SO3H) at one end. This form of PFOS, represented by "n-PFOS" (with "n" indicating the normal or straight-chain structure), has been widely used in the production of products that need water- and stain-repellent properties, such as nonstick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, firefighting foams, and even some food packaging materials.
Like other PFAS chemicals, Linear PFOS is highly resistant to degradation, meaning it can accumulate in the environment and human body over time. Its strong carbon-fluorine bonds make it particularly persistent, which is why it is considered a forever chemical.
Linear PFOS is included in the PFAS 9 Panel due to its widespread presence in the environment and its significant impact on human health. Monitoring Linear PFOS levels in the blood provides valuable insight into an individual's exposure to PFAS. Since PFOS is one of the most commonly detected PFAS chemicals in both environmental contamination and human blood, tracking its levels helps healthcare providers assess an individual’s overall PFAS burden and potential health risks.
Elevated levels of Linear PFOS in the blood may be an indication of long-term exposure to PFAS from sources like contaminated water, food packaging, or consumer products that contain PFOS.
Research into the health effects of Linear PFOS is ongoing, but several studies have indicated potential health risks associated with elevated levels of this PFAS chemical. Some of the risks include:
Immune System Suppression: Long-term exposure to Linear PFOS has been shown to reduce the immune system's ability to fight infections and respond effectively to vaccinations.
Cholesterol and Lipid Imbalances: High levels of Linear PFOS in the body are linked to unhealthy cholesterol levels, including increased total cholesterol and LDL ("bad" cholesterol), both of which contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Developmental and Reproductive Issues: Exposure to Linear PFOS may affect fetal and infant development, leading to lower birth weights or developmental delays. It may also impact reproductive health by decreasing fertility in both men and women.
Cancer Risk: Some studies suggest that Linear PFOS exposure could be linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as kidney and testicular cancer, though more research is needed to confirm these associations.
Linear PFOS is an important marker for monitoring overall PFAS exposure because it is one of the most commonly detected PFAS chemicals in human blood, especially for individuals living in areas with known PFAS contamination or those who use products containing PFOS. Testing for Linear PFOS levels can help identify individuals who may have been exposed to high levels of PFAS and provide early indications of potential health risks related to PFOS exposure.
Since Linear PFOS is a major contributor to the overall PFAS burden in the body, monitoring its levels can help healthcare providers assess the extent of PFAS accumulation and determine the need for further health evaluation or intervention.
If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, it suggests significant exposure to PFAS, which may be linked to health risks such as immune system dysfunction, cardiovascular issues, developmental concerns, and an increased risk of cancer. Elevated levels of Linear PFOS may be caused by environmental contamination, such as living near manufacturing plants or military bases that use PFOS-containing products, or occupational exposure to PFOS in industries such as firefighting or product manufacturing.
Consult a Healthcare Provider:
Elevated Linear PFOS levels should be discussed with a healthcare provider. Only a doctor can diagnose any potential health effects related to PFOS exposure and recommend appropriate next steps, including further monitoring or testing.
Reduce Exposure to PFAS:
Water Filtration: Install water filters certified to remove PFAS from drinking water, especially if you live in an area with known PFAS contamination.
Avoid Products Containing PFOS: Reduce exposure by avoiding products that may contain PFOS, such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and certain water-repellent clothing or fabrics.
Check Local Water Quality: If you live near sites with potential PFOS contamination, such as military bases or industrial sites, consider testing your water and taking necessary precautions.
Monitor Health Regularly:
If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, regular health monitoring may be recommended. Tracking cholesterol, immune function, and other health markers can help identify any potential health issues early and guide treatment options.
Linear PFOS is an important PFAS marker to monitor, as it provides valuable information about your exposure to PFAS and the potential health risks associated with these chemicals. Elevated Linear PFOS levels suggest significant exposure, which may be linked to immune system suppression, cholesterol imbalances, developmental issues, and increased cancer risk. If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider to assess your health and take steps to minimize further exposure. Monitoring your health and reducing PFAS exposure can help mitigate potential long-term risks associated with PFOS.
Elevated levels of Linear PFOS (n-PFOS) in the blood typically indicate significant exposure to PFAS (Forever Chemicals), particularly from environmental contamination, consumer products, or occupational sources. Linear PFOS is one of the most commonly detected PFAS chemicals in the body due to its widespread use in products like nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, water- and stain-resistant fabrics, and certain food packaging.
Long-Term or Ongoing Exposure to PFAS:
Elevated Linear PFOS levels often reflect long-term or repeated exposure to PFAS. This could be from sources like contaminated water, food packaging, or products that contain PFOS. Since PFOS is persistent in the environment and in the human body, it can accumulate over time, leading to elevated levels.
Environmental or Occupational Exposure:
Individuals living or working near industrial sites, military bases, airports, or areas where PFAS chemicals are used or disposed of may have higher exposure levels. Linear PFOS has been found in areas with known PFAS contamination from firefighting foams and manufacturing plants.
Health Risks:
Elevated levels of Linear PFOS in the blood have been associated with several health risks, including:
Immune System Suppression: Prolonged exposure to Linear PFOS can reduce immune function, making the body more susceptible to infections and less responsive to vaccinations.
Cholesterol Imbalances: Higher levels of Linear PFOS are linked to unhealthy cholesterol profiles, including elevated LDL ("bad" cholesterol), which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Developmental and Reproductive Health: Exposure to Linear PFOS during pregnancy or early life may result in lower birth weights and developmental delays. It may also affect fertility in both men and women.
Increased Cancer Risk: Some studies suggest a link between elevated Linear PFOS levels and an increased risk of certain cancers, particularly kidney and testicular cancer. However, more research is needed to fully understand these associations.
Widespread PFAS Contamination:
Elevated Linear PFOS levels may also indicate exposure to widespread environmental contamination. PFOS is commonly found in drinking water, soil, and air, particularly near industrial and military sites. This can result in significant exposure to communities near these locations.
Consult a Healthcare Provider:
If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider. They can help interpret the results and assess any potential health risks associated with PFOS exposure. Your doctor may recommend further tests to monitor your health, particularly for cholesterol, immune function, and kidney health.
Reduce Exposure:
To minimize further exposure to Linear PFOS and other PFAS, consider the following:
Use certified water filters designed to remove PFAS, particularly if you live in an area with known contamination.
Avoid products containing PFOS, such as nonstick cookware, water- and stain-resistant fabrics, and certain food packaging.
Stay informed about local water quality and take precautions if your area is affected by PFAS contamination.
Regular Health Monitoring:
If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, regular monitoring of specific health markers, such as cholesterol levels, immune function, and kidney health, is important. Your healthcare provider can guide you on when and how to monitor for any health changes.
Elevated Linear PFOS levels suggest significant exposure to PFAS, which may be linked to various health risks, including immune suppression, cardiovascular issues, reproductive problems, and potential cancer risks. If your Linear PFOS levels are elevated, it’s crucial to work with a healthcare provider to understand the potential health implications, reduce exposure, and monitor for any adverse health effects.
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We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
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Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
About membership
Easily upload lab results from any provider, whether it's a hospital, independent lab, or home testing service. We support PDFs, scanned documents, and JPEGs from patient portals. No need to log in to multiple platforms — everything is centralized in one secure space.
Easily upload lab results from any provider — we support PDFs, scans, and images. Keep all your reports organized in one secure place.
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey. Whether you're tracking a condition, managing treatments, or staying proactive, the timeline helps you and your doctor understand how things progress over time.
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey.
Whether it's a blood test, GI panel, urinalysis, or something else, lab reports measure numerous biomarkers that reveal what's happening inside your body. Our extensive database covers over 10,000 biomarkers, providing clear, simple explanations of what each result means and how you can take action—no matter your membership level. Say goodbye to confusion and get the insights you need to better understand your health.
Our database covers over 10,000 biomarkers with clear, simple explanations—so you can finally understand your results and what to do next.
If you'd like to handle inputting your health data into your account, you can do so with our easy-to-use data entry forms. Our user-friendly form is designed to guide you through the quick and easy submission process, making it simple to keep track of your health metrics. This is available to both Complete plan and Unlimited plan members.
Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
Share your full lab history with your doctor, nutritionist, or coach using a secure invite link.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
Anthony
Unlimited Plan Member since 2021
What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!
Karin
Advanced Plan Member since 2020
As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
Paul
Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.
Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.
Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
2. All Tests ViewExplore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.
3. Table View:For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.
Yes, you can download your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.
Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.
The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.