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HelpTest ID HMSUO Heavy Metals Screen Occupational Exposure, Urine
Useful For
Screening potentially exposed workers for heavy metal toxicity in settings where a 24-hour collection is problematic
Profile Information
| Test ID | Reporting Name | Available Separately | Always Performed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDCR | Creatinine Conc | No | Yes |
| ARCO | As Conc | No | Yes |
| PBCO | Pb Conc | No | Yes |
| CDUOM | Cd Conc | Yes, (order CDU) | Yes |
| HGCO | Hg Conc | Yes, (order HGOM) | Yes |
Special Instructions
Method Name
CDCR: Enzymatic Colorimetric Assay
ARCO, PBCO, CDUOM, HGCO: Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Reporting Name
Heavy Metals Scrn Occ Exposure, USpecimen Type
UrineCollection Container/Tube: Clean, plastic urine collection container
Submission Container/Tube: Plastic, 5-mL tube (Supply T465) or a clean, plastic aliquot container with no metal cap or glued insert
Specimen Volume: 5 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Collect a random urine specimen.
2. Shake specimen gently.
3. See Trace Metals Analysis Specimen Collection and Transport in Special Instructions for complete instructions.
Additional Information:
1. Patient should not eat seafood for a 48-hour period prior to start of collection.
2. High concentrations of gadolinium and iodine are known to interfere with most metals tests. If either gadolinium- or iodine-containing contrast media has been administered, a specimen should not be collected for 96 hours.
Specimen Minimum Volume
5 mL
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Urine | Refrigerated (preferred) | 7 days |
| Frozen | 7 days |
Clinical Information
Arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) are well-known toxins and toxic exposures are characterized by increased urinary excretion of these metals.
Arsenic exists in a number of different forms; some are toxic while others are not. Toxic forms, which are typically encountered as a result of an industrial exposure, are the inorganic species As (+3) (As-III) and As (+5) (As-V) and the partially detoxified metabolites, monomethylarsine and dimethylarsine. The 2 most common nontoxic forms are arsenobetaine and arsenocholine. Arsenic toxicity affects a number of organ systems.
Lead toxicity primarily affects the gastrointestinal, neurologic, and hematopoietic systems.
Chronic exposure to cadmium causes accumulated renal damage.
Mercury is essentially nontoxic in its elemental form. However, once it is chemically modified to the ionized, inorganic species, Hg(++), it becomes toxic. Further bioconversion to an alkyl mercury, such as methyl Hg (CH[3]Hg[+]), yields a species of mercury that is highly selective for lipid-rich tissue, such as the myelin sheath, and is very toxic.
Reference Values
ARSENIC/CREATININE
<50 mcg/g
MERCURY/CREATININE
<35 mcg/g
CADMIUM/CREATININE
<3.0 mcg/g
LEAD/CREATININE
<5 mcg/g
Cautions
Nitric acid cannot be added to either the collection or aliquot container. Nitrate interferes with the extraction procedure that would need to take place in the event of a positive arsenic result.
High concentrations of gadolinium and iodine are known to interfere with most metals tests. If either gadolinium- or iodine-containing contrast media has been administered, a specimen cannot be collected for 96 hours.
This test is intended for use as a screening tool for occupational monitoring. It is not a replacement of HMSU / Heavy Metals Screen, 24 Hour, Urine.
Day(s) Performed
Monday through Friday; 7 p.m., Saturday; 2 p.m.
Report Available
1 daysPerforming Laboratory
Mayo Medical Laboratories in Rochester
Test Classification
See Individual Test IDsCPT Code Information
82175-Arsenic
82300-Cadmium
83655-Lead
83825-Mercury