Arsenic, Whole Blood
Test Mnemonic
ASB
CPT Codes
- 82175 - QTY (1)
LOINC ®
5583-0
Includes
- Arsenic, Whole Blood
Performing Laboratory
ARUP
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 mL | Whole blood | EDTA (Royal blue) | Ambient | HEAVY METALS FORM REQUIRED to meet State Health Department requirements. Patient should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and non-essential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician) and avoid shellfish and seafood for 48 to 72 hours. Send blood in original collection tube. |
Minimum Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mL |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Ambient | Indefinitely |
| Refrigerated | Indefinitely |
| Frozen | Unacceptable |
Days Performed
Sun - Sat
Turnaround Time
2 - 4 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Inductively Coupled Plasma / Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) |
Reference Range
| Arsenic, Whole Blood | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Age From | Age To | Type | Range | Range Unit |
| Normal | 0.0 - 12.0 | ug/L |
Special Info
Patient demographics (Heavy Metals) form is required to meet State Health Department requirements. Patient Prep: Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patient should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and nonessential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician) and avoid shellfish and seafood for 48 to 72 hours. Clotted specimens or specimens transported in containers other than royal blue (K2EDTA) or trace element-free transport tubes will be rejected. This test is New York state approved.
Clinical Info
This test may be useful for the detection of recent (<24 hours after exposure) and/or large dose arsenic exposures. Potentially toxic ranges for blood arsenic: Greater than or equal to 600 ug/L. Blood arsenic is for the detection of recent exposure poisoning only. Blood arsenic levels in healthy subjects vary considerably with exposure to arsenic in the diet and the environment. A 24-hour urine arsenic is useful for the detection of chronic exposure. Elevated results may be due to skin- or collection-related contamination, including the use of tubes that are not certified to be trace element free. If an elevated result is suspected to be due to contamination, confirmation with a second specimen collected in a certified trace element-free tube is recommended.