Monitor chronic exposure to arsenic

Patient must avoid all seafood for 72 hours prior to collection. Seafood consumption two to three days prior to specimen collection can markedly elevate levels of total arsenic in urine. This dietary form of arsenic is nontoxic and is comprised primarily of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine. Inorganic arsenic is used for industrial exposure monitoring.

Screw cap plastic container (sterile)

Screw cap plastic container (sterile)

24 hr urine collection container, no additive

Do not use preservatives. Preservatives used for routine analysis may contain mercuric oxide (ie, Stabilur), which interferes with all metal testing.

1. Instruct the patient to void at 8 AM and discard the specimen.
2. Then collect all urine including the final specimen voided at the end of the 24-hour collection period (ie, 8 AM the next morning).
3. Avoid contact with metal during collection.
4. Screw the lid on securely. 

24 hr urine collection container, no additive

• Request form MUST state volume collected as 24-hour, if applicable.

Ambient (preferred) - 14 days

Refrigerated - 14 days

Frozen - 14 days

Freeze/thaw cycles - stable x3

• Visibly bloody specimen

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS)

Environmental exposure
Total arsenic: 0−9 μg/L, 0−50 μg/24 hours
Inorganic arsenic: < 20 μg/L

Occupational exposure
BEI®, inorganic arsenic plus methylated metabolites (sampling time is end of work week): 35 μg/L creatinine

Sampling time is the end of the work week for industrial exposure monitoring. Metals with timing "end of work week" (meaning four or five consecutive working days with exposure) are eliminated with half-lives longer than five hours. Such metals accumulate in the body during the work week; therefore, their timing is critical in relation to previous exposures.

Medical necessity