TEST ID HG Mercury, Blood
Reporting Name
Mercury, BSpecimen Type
Whole bloodSpecimen Required
Patient Preparation: High concentrations of gadolinium and iodine are known to potentially interfere with most inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry-based metal tests. If either gadolinium- or iodine-containing contrast media has been administered, a specimen should not be collected for 96 hours.
Supplies:
-Metal Free EDTA 3 mL Tube (T989)
-Metal Free B-D Tube (EDTA), 6 mL (T183)
Collection Container/Tube:
Preferred: Royal blue-top BD vacutainer with EDTA blood collection tube (3 mL) (BD catalog no. 367777) (T989)
Acceptable: Royal blue-top BD Vacutainer Plus with EDTA blood collection tube (6 mL) (BD catalog no. 368381) (T183)
Specimen Volume: 1 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. See Metals Analysis Specimen Collection and Transport for complete instructions.
2. Send whole blood specimen in original tube. Do not aliquot.
Specimen Minimum Volume
0.25 mL
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Whole blood | Refrigerated (preferred) | 28 days |
| Ambient | 28 days | |
| Frozen | 28 days |
Special Instructions
Method Name
Triple Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS)
Reject Due To
| Gross hemolysis | OK |
| Gross lipemia | OK |
| Gross icterus | OK |
Reference Values
<10 ng/mL
Reference values apply to all ages.
Day(s) Performed
Monday through Saturday
Report Available
1 to 3 daysSpecimen Retention Time
14 daysPerforming Laboratory
Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester
CPT Code Information
83825
Useful For
Detecting mercury toxicity