Heavy Metals Panel, Blood (Arsenic, Lead, Mercury)

This panel measures arsenic, lead, and mercury in whole blood, the three metals most often behind toxic exposure from contaminated water, food, occupational dust and fumes, old paint, certain folk remedies, and high seafood intake. Blood levels reflect recent or ongoing exposure: lead is checked when symptoms like abdominal pain, fatigue, irritability, anemia, or cognitive changes raise concern, mercury when high fish consumption or tremor and neurological symptoms are in play, and arsenic when acute or environmental exposure is suspected. Elevated results point to active exposure and guide whether to remove the source and consider treatment.

This three-metal version is the focused default. If your concern includes cadmium (smoking, occupational exposure) or cobalt (metal implants), the broader four- and five-metal blood panels add those, and the urine panel is better for assessing longer-term arsenic and cadmium burden than a single blood draw.

Avoid seafood and red wine for 72 hours before collection, since both can transiently raise blood levels of these metals. No fasting required. Collected in a royal blue-top EDTA tube; a clotted specimen will be rejected.