Mercury, Blood !!! NOTE: The contents are valid only for: 05/21/2025 !!!
| WSLH Department: | Chemical Emergency Response - Clinical Metals |
| WSLH Test Code: | CR1203 |
| Day(s) Performed: | Monday-Friday |
| Turn-around Time: | 5 business days |
| Recommended Uses: | Evaluation of potential mercury toxicity from exposure to inorganic, and organic forms of mercury. |
| Pre-approval: | N |
| Contraindications: | NA |
| Additional Tests Performed: | |
| Preparation for Collection: | No specific patient preparation is required. |
| Specimen Requirements: | A volume of 2 mL of whole blood is preferred, a volume of >0.25 mL is required. Specimens should be stored at <4°C before shipping. Anticoagulated whole blood is required; serum and plasma are unsuitable samples. |
| Collection Instructions: | Standard venipuncture procedure is appropriate. Refer to Collection of Diagnostic Venous Blood Specimens 7th ed. CLSI standard GP41. |
| Collection Kit/Container: | |
| Requisition Form: | |
| Required Information: | Label specimen container with patient name and date of birth. Laboratory regulations require the following minimum information to be provided on the requisition form for a specimen to be accepted for testing: Patient name or unique identifier; date and time of collection, patient date of birth and sex, specimen type/site of collection (venous), test request(s), clinician name and NPI, and address for reporting results. Please be certain that name/identifier on the form matches that on the specimen label, which is required to have a minimum of two identifiers. |
| Rejection Criteria: | Rejection criteria include insufficient volume (<0.25 mL), suspected contamination due to improper collection procedures/container, improper matrix, or a leaking sample container. Specimens preserved with fluoride oxalate (grey top tubes) are not acceptable. |
| Specimen Handling: | The specimens are stable at room temperature for up to two weeks. For shipments subject to delay or during seasonally high temperatures, ship specimens with a cool pack. USPS ground ship is acceptable. |
| Packaging Requirements: | Biological substance, Category B |
| Courier Information: | NA |
| Specimen Receiving Hours: | Monday-Friday 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM, Saturday 7:45 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Results Include: | NHANES reference range: <3.87 mcg/L (2017-2018 survey year). |
| Limitations: | This test is for assessing organic mercury exposure, a urine mercury test is preferred for assessing elemental (metallic) mercury exposure. Blood is considered useful if samples are taken within a few days of exposure. This is because most forms of mercury in the blood decrease by one-half every three days if exposure has been stopped. Thus, mercury levels in the blood provide more useful information after recent exposures than after long-term exposures. |
| Additional Tests Recommended: | NA |
| Additional Comments: | In the general population, total blood mercury is due mostly to the dietary intake of organic forms which are formed through microbial action from inorganic mercury that has deposited in aquatic environments and bioaccumulated through the food chain. |
| Methodology: | Mercury is measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). |
| Includes: | Quantification of mercury in blood for toxicological purposes. The method is used to screen blood from subjects suspected to be exposed to mercury. The sample is combined with internal standards and introduced into the ICP. The sample is ionized in the plasma and the resulting ions enter the MS. The MS permits ions at each mass to be detected in rapid sequence, allowing individual isotopes of an element to be determined. This test has a reportable range of 2 to 400 mcg/L. |
| Regulatory Compliance: | Lab Developed Test (LDT) Regulatory Compliance Definitions |
| CPT Code: | 83825 |
| Price: | $35.36 |
| Fee Exempt Eligible: | NA |
| Billing and Revenue Office: | 1-800-862-1065 arbill@slh.wisc.edu |