What are organic environmental pollutants?
These are often consumed through the plastics used in everyday items, e.g., food containers, tooth brushes, water bottles, and so on. They may also get into our bodies through drinking water.
Many of them are known carcinogens, affect the functioning of hormones, and can interfere with fertility and women's health.
Why measure organic pollutants?
High levels of organic pollutants are bad for health and are signs of potential future problems. They are known to cause serious problems including fatigue, dizziness, seizures, liver and kidney disease, memory loss, personality changes.
Serious exposure may even cause leukemia or lymphoma in extreme cases.
Which organic pollutants are measured?
The 8 organic environmental pollutants measured are from the exposure of:
Xylene> (3-methylhippurate, 2-methylhippurate)
Toluene> (hippurate, benzoate)
Benzene> (t,t-muconic acid)
Trimethylbenzene> (3,4-dimethylhippurate)
Styrene> (mandelate, phenylglyoxylate, mandelate+phenylglyoxylate)
Phthalate> (monoethyl phthalate, phthalate, quinolinate)
Paraben> (para-hydroxybenzoate)
Methyl Tetra-butyl Ether> (Alpha-hydroxyisobutyrate)
How to test for environmental toxins?
An easy, low cost method of measuring your levels is by using a urine test at home. Simply order the test kit, collect the sample at home, ship it for free to our world class CLIA-certified labs, and find out your levels within days. Unlike a blood test, a urine sample makes it especially useful for those fearful of needles.
Be informed, read more
For a detailed discussion about Benzene and Toluene toxicity, follow this summary by Vitale and Gutovitz. The CDC has detailed explanation for each of these organic chemicals and their short and long term health impact here.
Q: Can I purchase the test across US?
A: Except New York and New Jersey our tests are available in all 48 states. State regulations in NY, NJ do not allow us to ship the tests to their residents.
Q: What does the kit contain and how do I use it?
A: The kit contains urine collection strip, instructions on how to collect the samples, and a form requesting basic information including date and time of collection. The directions are straight forward and easy to follow.
Q: How long does it take to receive the results?
A: You will receive the kit within 3-5 business days with a prepaid return envelope (within US). After you ship the sample and it is received by our lab, you get the results within 5-7 business days. We can ship to your address outside US but you will need to pay for return shipping.
Q: What do I expect from the report?
A: The report with your test results will be easy to understand and will have all the necessary details. It will mark your levels on a healthy range and will specify what are the expected low and high ranges. It will briefly discuss what your numbers mean and next steps you should take to maintain healthy levels.
Q: Can I use my insurance to pay for the test?
A: You can use HSA (or FSA/MSA/HRA) accounts to pay for the tests since these are prescription tests (for further confirmation, please check the IRS publication#969). However, please ensure you are not going outside your specified max and min deductible limits. We do not have the capability to process the insurance claim. Since insurance plans vary for individuals we can not guarantee your HSA payment will always be processed by your plan. We suggest talking to your insurance provider if you have any questions.
Q: How reliable are my tests and how do I ensure my results are accurate?
A: Measuring organic pollutants levels in urine is a well researched and documented procedure.
The variations in results is often from two sources: the way samples are collected and the variation from lab-to-lab.
To minimize the first variation, we provide detailed instructions on how to collect the sample.
To minimize the variation from labs, we have partnered with CLIA-certified labs that are regulated by the states, as well as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Majority of the tests from these labs are FDA approved to ensure they meet the proper regulatory requirements. Additionally, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) requires inter-laboratory tests to ensure the ranges established by each lab do not drift or are not out of acceptable ranges. This is done by regularly testing reference samples between different labs. Finally, the labs test thousands of samples for different age groups and health conditions, and have well established reference data to compare your results against this large pool.
Q: Can you recommend what therapy should I take for cortisol levels high or low?
A: Unfortunately, no. As a lab test provider we can only test and report out data from your sample. We are not authorized to provide any medical recommendations. But we strongly encourage you to discuss the results with your doctor for next steps.
