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Nestwell
SVOC Water Test
66
Lab markers
15
Days until results

SVOC Water Test

Water lab test kit

Price

$358

The heavier industrial chemicals that stay in water rather than evaporating out of it: wood preservatives, plasticizers, combustion residues and pesticide leftovers.

  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Free shipping in 3-5 business days

What’s included

  • All sampling materials
  • Easy-to-follow instructions
  • Full contaminant details for your address
  • Prepaid 2-day return shipping
  • Accredited lab network
  • Regulatory analytical methods
  • Per-location results
  • Scored against EPA + CDC standards
  • HSA/FSA eligible via TrueMed

It’s worth testing for if…

  • A VOC screen came back clean but the question has not gone away
  • You are near a former industrial or wood-treatment site
  • You want the widest chemical screen available for water

What is in your water?

66 measurements
SVOC Water Test

Semi-volatile compounds are the heavier half of organic chemistry: too heavy to evaporate readily, so they stay in water and soil rather than moving into air. That includes the PAHs left by burning and by asphalt, the phthalate plasticizers that leach out of flexible plastics, wood preservatives like pentachlorophenol, and the residues of older pesticides. They are the compounds a VOC screen is blind to by definition, which is why this panel exists alongside it.

How to Test

Fill the bottles from the tap you drink from, first thing in the morning before anyone has run the water. That first draw is the water that has been sitting in your own pipes overnight, which is where lead and copper show up.

Every measurement, explained

At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.

66 measures across 8 groups, 33 of them written up by our advisors. Open a group to read what it covers.

  • Pentachlorophenol

    What it is

    A banned wood preservative that was widely used to treat utility poles, railroad ties, and fence posts.

    A probable carcinogen — long-term exposure is linked to liver cancer and can damage the kidneys, blood, and immune system.

    detects to 5 ppb

  • Hexachlorocyclopentadiene

    Hazardous

    What it is

    An industrial chemical used in making pesticides, flame retardants, and resins.

    Can be linked to

    • The brain and nervous system
    • Short-term toxic effects at high doses
    • Allergies and skin irritation
    • The digestive system

    Can cause kidney and stomach damage with long-term exposure; may also affect the liver and nervous system.

    detects to 2 ppb

  • 2,4-Dinitrotoluene

    What it is

    An industrial chemical used in making explosives and polyurethane foams that can contaminate water.

    Classified as a probable carcinogen; can cause liver damage, anemia, and affect the male reproductive system.

    detects to 2 ppb

  • 2,6-Dinitrotoluene

    What it is

    An industrial chemical used in making explosives and polyurethane that can contaminate water.

    Classified as a probable carcinogen; may cause liver damage and blood disorders with long-term exposure.

    detects to 2 ppb

  • Isophorone

    What it is

    An industrial solvent used in paints, inks, and adhesives that can contaminate water.

    Can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation; classified as a possible carcinogen with long-term exposure.

    detects to 2 ppb

  • N-Nitrosodi-n-Propylamine

    What it is

    A nitrosamine compound that can form during water treatment or contaminate water from industrial sources.

    A probable carcinogen linked to liver cancer; part of a group of extremely potent cancer-causing chemicals.

    detects to 2 ppb

Also measured

  • 3,3 Dichlorobenzidinedetects to 5.05 ppb
  • 2,4-Dimethylphenoldetects to 4 ppb
  • 2,4-Dinitrophenoldetects to 3 ppb
  • 2-Chloronaphthalenedetects to 2 ppb
  • 2-Chlorophenoldetects to 4 ppb
  • 2-Nitroanilinedetects to 2 ppb
  • 2-Nitrophenoldetects to 3 ppb
  • 3-Nitroanilinedetects to 2 ppb
  • 4-Bromophenyl phenyl etherdetects to 2 ppb
  • 4-Chlorophenylphenyl etherdetects to 2 ppb
  • 4-Nitrophenoldetects to 7 ppb
  • Benzidinedetects to 4 ppb
  • Benzyl alcoholdetects to 2 ppb
  • bis(2-Chloroethoxy)methanedetects to 2 ppb
  • bis(2-Chloroethyl) etherdetects to 2 ppb
  • Dibenzofurandetects to 3 ppb
  • o-Cresoldetects to 3 ppb
  • p-Chloroanilinedetects to 2 ppb
  • Phenoldetects to 3 ppb
  • p-Nitroanilinedetects to 3 ppb
  • N-Nitrosodiphenylaminedetects to 3 ppb
  • 3,4-Methylphenoldetects to 3 ppb
  • Anilinedetects to 4 ppb

“Detects to” is the method detection limit — the lowest concentration this kit's method can distinguish from zero. The lab may substitute an equivalent or updated method, in which case its limit may differ from the one shown.

Designed To Understand Your Whole House

A single kit answers one question properly rather than several vaguely. Whichever you start with, it is the same lab, the same methods, and the same reporting — so results from one kit sit beside results from the next, in one place, on the same scale.

Accredited labs, regulatory methods

Every sample is analyzed by an accredited environmental lab with the same methods regulatory testing uses.

Numbers with regulatory context

Results come back as a measured value next to the standard it is judged against, not just a "detected".

One box, no home visit

Everything arrives at once and we tell you both where and how to sample, no outside home inspection needed.

How Nestwell Testing Works

How Collection Works

Understand the science –›

  1. Collect

    Fill the bottles from the tap you drink from, first thing in the morning before anyone has run the water. That first draw is the water that has been sitting in your own pipes overnight, which is where lead and copper show up.

  2. Mail

    Everything goes back in the same box with the prepaid return label. No appointment, nobody in your house, and easy to send back when convenient for you.

  3. Read

    Results land in your Nestwell dashboard in about 15 days, each scored against the standard that applies to it.

A sample bottle being filled at a kitchen tap
Wiping a surface to collect a sample
Nestwell kit boxes on a kitchen counter

Why Nestwell?

CapabilityNestwellHardware Store StripsIn Person Inspector
Samples from across your homeYesOne sample, one placeYes
Real exposure concentrationsYesPaper colour keySometimes
Accredited lab, regulatory methodsYesNoSometimes
Nobody has to come into your homeYesYesNo
Results tracked over time in one placeYesNoOne time result

A number is only useful next to its limit.

At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.

Accredited labs only

Samples are analysed by accredited environmental laboratories using the analytical methods used for regulatory compliance work: the same reading a professional consultant would order.

Each result has a standard

A number on its own is not an answer. The EPA action level for lead in water is 15 ppb; the CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Each finding is shown against the limit that applies to it.

Where there is no limit, we say so

The EPA sets no numeric limit for mold, and moisture control is the real remedy. Mold results are reported as what is growing and at what relative level, never as just a pass or a fail.

Medical advisors

Built with leading medical experts

Dr. Malathi Srinivasan

Dr. Malathi Srinivasan

Clinical Professor of Medicine, Primary Care and Population Health

Stanford University

“Our physical & home environment is a direct determinant of our health, and is immunoregulatory. In a year, we breathe about 6 million times, drink 250 gallons of liquid, and eat almost 2 tons of food, with hundreds of compounds interacting on our skin and immune systems. Small environmental changes make a big difference, especially in early childhood development and for vulnerable adults.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? Find answers to common customer concerns below.

What does the SVOC Water Test actually measure?

The panel runs 66 measures, covering Semi-volatile compounds (SVOCs), Fuel and petroleum compounds, Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Plasticizers. Every one is listed on this page with its detection limit, so you can check for a specific substance before you buy.

How do I take the sample?

Fill the bottles from the tap you drink from, first thing in the morning before anyone has run the water. That first draw is the water that has been sitting in your own pipes overnight, which is where lead and copper show up. It takes about 5 minutes, and everything you need comes in the box.

How long until I get results?

The kit reaches you in about 3 days. Once the lab receives your sample, results appear in your Nestwell account in about 15 days. Return shipping is prepaid and included.

Who analyses the sample?

An accredited environmental laboratory, using published analytical methods — the same methods and the same labs used for regulatory and commercial testing. Nestwell does not run the analysis itself.

Why do some substances on the panel have explanations and others do not?

Our advisors have written up 33 of the 66 measures on this panel so far. The rest are still measured, reported and held to the same detection limits — they are listed under "Also measured" until the write-up exists. We would rather show you the gap than fill it with something we have not checked.

What happens if something comes back high?

Your results are shown against the relevant reference values rather than as a bare number, so you can see which measures stand out and by how much. The lab reports what it measured; it does not diagnose, and a lab result is not medical advice.

Can I pay with an HSA or FSA?

Most Nestwell kits are HSA/FSA eligible through Truemed. Eligibility is shown on the kit page at checkout, and where it applies you can pay with pre-tax dollars.

Free. 3 minutes. No card required.

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$358