Evaluate exposure to lead

Lead filter paper collection

1. Wash your hands with soap and water and instruct, or assist, the patient in thoroughly washing his/her hands with soap and warm water.
1. Once hands have been washed, instruct the patient not to touch anything.
2. It is acceptable to dry the patient's fingers with individually wrapped gauze.
3. The hands of small children should be held at the wrist to prevent contamination.
2. Open the sample card to expose the filter paper and lay it on a clean, flat surface.
3. Thoroughly scrub tip of finger with an alcohol prep pad.
4. Let the finger air dry for 30 seconds or wipe with sterile gauze.
5. Use a lancet to pierce the skin of the prepped finger.
6. Wipe off the first rop of blood with sterile gauze.
7. Allow a blood drop to accumulate and fall onto one of the circles on the sample card. Do not touch the paper to the skin.
8. Collect a second blood drop on the second circle in the same manner.
   1. The circles are provided as a guide for the approximate size and location of the blood spots. The sample is acceptable if the blood spots fall outside of the circles as long as they are of adequate size and soak through to the back side of the filter paper.
9. Write patient's name on the sample card or place patient label on the card over the "Place Requisition Number Here" box.

IMPORTANT: Immediately discard any collection paper that has been handled on the filter paper section or that has fallen onto an unprotected surface.

Fingerstick collection for lead filter paper test examples

1. Allow the blood spots to dry for 2 - 5 minutes and tuck in the top flap to create a "matchbook"
2. Package the sample card for transport and send to Allina Health Laboratory with your next available courier

Lead Filter paper collection card

Clients submitting specimens for testing using manual requisitions must include a completed Blood lead report form

Ambient - 6 months

• Spots of insufficient size
• Non-homogenous spots

Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

< 3.5 µg/dL

0 - 10 years: >20 µg/dL

Common Sources of Lead - MDH

Medical necessity