Lead, Blood




Test Mnemonic

LEAD2

CPT Codes

  • 83655 - QTY (1)

LOINC ®

5671-3

Aliases

  • Pb

Performing Laboratory

Cleveland Clinic Laboratories


Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
1 mLWhole bloodEDTA (Royal blue) Refrigerated 

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
0.5 mL     

Stability

Environmental Condition Description
Ambient1 month
Frozen1 month
Refrigerated1 month

Days Performed

Mon - Fri

Turnaround Time

1 - 3 days

Methodology

Name Description
Inductively Coupled Plasma / Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) 

Reference Range

Lead
Sex Age From Age To Type Range Range Unit
   Years99 YearsNormal<3.5ug/dL
   Years99 YearsUrgent> 44.9ug/dL

Special Info

Submit Heavy Metals requisition with specimen. Provide all required demographics to meet State Health Department requirements.

Clinical Info

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a blood lead reference value of less than 3.5 µg/dL (Update of the Blood Lead Reference Value – United States, 2021). The CDC’s updated “Recommended Actions Based on Blood Lead Level” can be accessed at www.cdc.gov. Consult your State Department of Health and/or applicable regulatory agencies for specific guidance on testing follow up and patient management.

Clinical Limitation

Specimens received in BD lavender-top EDTA tubes will be reported with the following comment: Specimen received in a non-certified metal free container, which may produce a falsely elevated result. We recommend confirming elevated results utilizing a specimen collected in a certified metal free tube (royal blue top EDTA). Lavender-top Greiner Vacuette tubes with EDTA are not acceptable.

Clinical Reference

Lead Toxicity

Patient Info Sheet