Blood Spot Toxic & Essential Elements

Blood

Performed by: ZRT Laboratory

Dried Blood Spot Testing Whole blood dried on filter paper is a convenient alternative to liquid whole blood testing for elements, and is preferable to serum testing for certain elements that are found predominantly in red blood cells (lead and zinc). Whole blood is also advantageous for testing magnesium because it represents intracellular magnesium, whereas serum magnesium is not a useful test because it is kept within a tight range by homeostatic mechanisms and the test is therefore normal in most people, masking deficiency at the intracellular level. For the nutritional elements copper and zinc, dried blood spot (DBS) testing reflects intracellular as well as blood (serum) levels and can reveal deficiencies earlier than a typical blood (serum/plasma) test. Arsenic is not tested in DBS because it is rapidly cleared from the bloodstream and therefore urine testing is the only clinically useful determinant of arsenic exposure. DBS reference ranges are used for elements since published serum reference ranges are not comparable to whole blood/ DBS reference ranges.

Blood Spot Toxic & Essential Elements

Performed by: ZRT Laboratory

Biomarkers included in this panel:

Cadmium

Copper

Magnesium

Mercury

Ratio: Zn/Cu

Selenium

Zinc

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