Mercury, Urine 24 Hour
Test Mnemonic
UMERC3
CPT Codes
- 83825 - QTY (1)
Aliases
- Hg, Urine 24 Hour
Includes
- Hours Collected
- Total Volume
- Mercury, Urine per volume
- Mercury, Urine per 24 hour
- Mercury, Urine ratio to creatinine
- Creatinine, Urine per volume
- Creatinine, Urine per 24 hour
Performing Laboratory
ARUP
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mL | Urine, 24-hour (well-mixed) | Plastic container | Refrigerate during collection. | Refrigerated | HEAVY METALS FORM REQUIRED to meet State Health Department requirements. Patient Prep: High concentrations of iodine may interfere with testing. Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patients should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, non-essential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician) and avoid seafood for 48 hours. Avoid iodinated or gadolinium-based contrast media for at least 72 hours or 14 days for patients with impaired kidney function. Collection: Collect in a plastic container, mix well and aliquot into a trace metal free transport tube (ARUP #43116). Record total volume and collection time interval on specimen. |
Alternate Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mL | Urine, random | Plastic container | Refrigerated | HEAVY METALS FORM REQUIRED to meet State Health Department requirements. Patient Prep: High concentrations of iodine may interfere with testing. Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patients should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, non-essential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician) and avoid seafood for 48 hours. Avoid iodinated or gadolinium-based contrast media for at least 72 hours or 14 days for patients with impaired kidney function. Collection: Collect in a plastic container, mix well and aliquot into a trace metal free transport tube (ARUP #43116). Record total volume and collection time interval on specimen. |
Minimum Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Refrigerated | 2 weeks |
| Ambient | 1 week |
| Frozen | 1 year |
Days Performed
Sun - Sat
Turnaround Time
2 - 6 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Inductively Coupled Plasma / Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) |
Special Info
HEAVY METALS FORM REQUIRED to meet State Health Department requirements. Patient Prep: Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patients should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, nonessential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician) and avoid seafood for 48 hours. High concentrations of iodine may interfere with testing. Avoid iodinated or gadolinium-based contrast media for at least 72 hours or 14 days for patients with impaired kidney function. Collection: Collect in a plastic container, mix well and aliquot into a trace metal free transport tube (ARUP #43116). Record total volume and collection time interval on specimen. Urine transported in a non-trace element-free tube or contaminated with iodine, gadolinium, blood, fecal material or acid preservative will be rejected. Elevated results may be due to skin or collection-related contamination, including the use of collection containers that are not certified to be trace element-free. Confirmation with a second specimen collected in a certified trace-element free container is recommended if an elevated result is suspected to be due to contamination. This test is New York DOH approved.
Clinical Info
This test may be useful in the assessment of acute or chronic elemental or inorganic mercury exposure and/or in monitoring chelation therapy. Urinary mercury levels predominantly reflect acute or chronic elemental or inorganic mercury exposure. Urine concentrations in unexposed individuals are typically less than 10 µg/L. 24 hour urine concentrations of 30 to 100 µg/L may be associated with subclinical neuropsychiatric symptoms and tremor while concentrations greater than 100 µg/L can be associated with overt neuropsychiatric disturbances and tremors. Urine mercury levels may be useful in monitoring chelation therapy.