A new national survey shows homebuyers are ready to address PFAS once rapid and accessible testing tools are available.
For decades, PFAS testing has been conducted almost entirely within a regulatory, industrial, and scientific environment. Water utilities test at the treatment plant level, environmental agencies measure PFAS during contamination events, and laboratories rely on specialized, time-consuming workflows. Meanwhile, households most affected by PFAS have few practical ways to test their water or soil.
Traditional PFAS testing is expensive, time-consuming, logistically complex, and optimized for laboratories rather than the quick timelines of homes and real estate transactions. As PFAS awareness increases, homeowners lack the tools to meet their concerns and decision-making needs.
PureTrace Labs, a startup specializing in rapid PFAS screening and accessible testing solutions, began researching this gap. Through engagement with local communities, environmental experts, and housing inspectors, the team consistently heard the same message: Families want answers, but the current system makes PFAS testing too slow, too expensive, or too confusing.
This led PureTrace Labs to ask a different question. How do homebuyers think about PFAS, and what tools can encourage them to take action?
Before sharing the results of the company’s new national study, it’s important to understand the breakthrough that will ultimately bring PFAS testing to the household level.
Scientific advances enable practical PFAS screening
PFAS testing has lagged behind consumer needs, largely because existing testing methods are not designed for speed, affordability, or household-scale sampling. Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), an R1 research university recognized as a leader in PFAS science, have developed an innovative alternative.
Under the leadership of Dr. Hao Chen, NJIT advanced new implementations of paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) and desalination paper spray mass spectrometry (DPS-MS) to enable rapid PFAS screening with minimal sample preparation.
PureTrace Labs is commercializing this approach to provide a practical, community-ready PFAS screening platform.
Rapid screening with results in as little as 48 hours
Traditional PFAS testing can take up to 21 days due to labor-intensive sample preparation. PureTrace’s workflow screens each sample in less than 3 minutes and can deliver results in as little as 48 hours.
Broad-spectrum PFAS screening
PureTrace screens for 25 PFAS compounds at once. It includes all PFAS compounds currently regulated under EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations and provides a clear, actionable indicator of whether regulated PFAS are present. The underlying platform also has the ability to expand to additional PFAS compounds as regulations and community needs evolve.
Sensitivity at the 1/1 trillion level
This method achieves a detection limit of approximately parts per trillion, making it highly sensitive for early-stage screening.
Minimizing preparation reduces consumables, labor, and overall costs and enables high-throughput screening.
Simple, small sample collection
Requiring only a few drops of water or a small soil sample, this method is easy to implement for homeowners, inspectors, and community programs.
This technology is not a replacement for confirmatory regulatory testing. Instead, it enables a screening-first model that helps homeowners, inspectors, utilities, and municipalities determine what is being missed and when additional analysis is needed.
New national data: Homebuyers want clarity and are ready to act
PureTrace Labs conducted a national survey of 114 recent and prospective homebuyers and 134 homeowners ages 30 to 65 with household incomes of $75,000 or more. The findings suggest that homeowners may play a much larger role in recognizing and detecting PFAS than previously realized.
Awareness and concern is growing.
50% of homeowners and 40% of prospective buyers were already familiar with PFAS. After receiving a brief factual explanation about PFAS and their effects on human health: 62% of homeowners said they would use PFAS testing if it was affordable. 88% of prospective buyers said they are likely or likely to add PFAS testing to their home inspections.
PFAS information influences purchasing decisions. Respondents ranked PFAS information alongside radon, mold, and well water quality, environmental factors that buyers routinely consider during home inspections. In a survey of homebuyers, a majority said it was important or very important to know whether PFAS were present in the home they were considering buying and to be able to obtain PFAS results before closing.
Some recent homebuyers in our sample said PFAS findings influenced their next steps, including requesting more information, requesting improvements, and negotiating.
Home inspectors are reliable guides.
Nearly nine in 10 respondents said they would add PFAS testing to their testing if an inspector recommended it.
Why waiting for buyers to ask questions about PFAS is the wrong approach
A concern often raised by home inspectors and real estate agents is that consumers are not yet requesting PFAS testing. PureTrace Labs research confirms that many purchasers are aware of the term PFAS, but do not fully understand its meaning or are unaware that home-level testing is now available.
This pattern reflects all the environmental hazards that are standard for home inspections.
Radon, mold, lead paint, asbestos, and well water contaminants all started with poor consumer awareness. Demand once increased:
Inspections have become more affordable and actual inspectors have started introducing these risks during inspections
PFAS are currently at the same inflection point.
Once informed, consumers will quickly evaluate PFAS testing.
PureTrace discovered:
88% of buyers requested a PFAS test after receiving a briefing 91% would follow an inspector’s recommendation 85% would prefer an inspector offering a PFAS test
Low awareness is not evidence of low demand. That’s proof that the buyer needs the inspector’s guidance.
Inspectors are already introducing environmental risks that buyers don’t know to ask.
Home inspectors routinely recommend tests that buyers did not actively request, such as radon, sewer scopes, mold, and well water panels. PFAS are a natural fit for this advisory role.
Lack of awareness is no reason to wait to get tested for PFAS. This is why home inspectors are needed now more than ever.
Why home inspectors are key to PFAS awareness
Home inspectors operate at the intersection of timing, trust, and decision-making. As such, the company is uniquely positioned to bring PFAS screening into the mainstream.
Inspectors advise at critical moments.
Buyers rely on inspectors to identify hidden risks right before making the most important purchase of their lives. PFAS is consistent with existing environmental assessments.
Inspectors have already tested for radon, mold, lead paint, asbestos, sewer problems and well water quality. Buyers trust inspectors more than any other source of information.
The inspector’s recommendations carry more weight than the utility company or real estate agent. PFAS testing strengthens the value proposition for inspectors.
85% of buyers said they would choose an inspector who offers PFAS testing over one who doesn’t. Early adopters gain a competitive advantage. As PFAS regulations tighten and public awareness increases, inspectors offering rapid screening will become more visible. Early adopters also strengthen their position as trusted environmental advisors. As PFAS becomes a more common topic in community conversations, including water reports, local news, and public health discussions, inspectors who offer PFAS screening are demonstrating that they are leading the way and aligning with new consumer expectations. Providing PFAS screening also helps inspectors stay ahead of regulatory changes and future-proof their services.
What families can do if PFAS is detected
When PFAS are present in domestic water supplies, several mitigation approaches exist.
Carbon-based filtration On-site reverse osmosis Whole-home treatment in private wells or high-risk areas
These options vary in cost and complexity, allowing families to choose a solution that suits their needs and comfort level. For households with private wells, rapid screening can help determine whether laboratory confirmation is warranted. In municipal systems, screening results facilitate constructive conversations with water providers about local water quality.
Best of all, rapid screening provides clarity rather than fear, giving families the information they need to make decisions with confidence.
Growing policy momentum and need for practical tools
PFAS regulations are accelerating in the United States. EPA’s 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Regulations established some of the first enforceable federal limits on PFAS, raising national awareness and prompting the evaluation of water systems’ compliance strategies.
But without practical and scalable tools at the household level, regulation alone will not protect consumers. Rapid PFAS screening supports:
Local governments identify early exposure patterns Utilities respond more effectively to customer concerns Environmental consultants prioritize sites Public health agencies monitor emerging risks
As utilities work to meet new federal PFAS standards, rapid household screening can support these efforts by identifying areas that need further clarification and helping address resident questions early. Screening is not a substitute for regulated testing. Enhance inspections by providing a community-level view that utilities can use to inform planning, communication, and response.
Legislation increases awareness and prompt review enables action.
Collaboration through demonstration projects
PureTrace Labs partners with local governments, utilities, environmental consultants, and home inspection organizations to integrate rapid PFAS screening into real-world environments.
These targeted demonstration projects will help partners:
Evaluate rapid screening within existing workflows Provide quick, actionable information to homeowners Identify potential exposure hotspots early Determine where confirmatory laboratory testing is warranted
PureTrace Labs provides screening kits, technical support, and results in as little as 48 hours.
Incorporating rapid PFAS screening provides partners with a scalable and practical tool to improve environmental transparency and community trust.
conclusion
As PFAS becomes a more visible concern, scientific innovation and growing consumer appetite combine to create a vital opportunity.
With the right tools, homeowners may indeed be the catalyst that moves PFAS screening from new innovation to routine practice.
For more information, please visit PureTraceLabs.com.
About PureTrace Labs
PureTrace Labs is the first commercial spinout from the New Jersey Innovation Institute’s Venture Studio and is dedicated to bringing advanced PFAS detection technology from academic research into real-world applications. The company partners with local governments, utilities, environmental consultants, and home inspectors to expand access to rapid PFAS screening across the United States.
This article will be published in an upcoming PFAS Special Focus Publication in January.
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