Find Locations
For hours, walk-ins and appointments.Synonyms
- Hg, Urine
Test Includes
Mercury, urine; creatinine, urine; mercury:creatinine ratio
Special Instructions
Sampling time is preshift for industrial monitoring. Request form must state 24-hour collection volume, if applicable. Do not use preservative. Preservatives used for routine analysis may contain mercuric oxide (ie, Stabilur), which interferes with all metal testing. If both urinalysis and metal testing are ordered, please submit a separate urine specimen (containing no additive) for the metal testing.
Expected Turnaround Time
2 - 5 days
Turnaround time is defined as the usual number of days from the date of pickup of a specimen for testing to when the result is released to the ordering provider. In some cases, additional time should be allowed for additional confirmatory or additional reflex tests. Testing schedules may vary.
Related Information
Related Documents
Specimen Requirements
Specimen
Urine (random or 24-hour)
Volume
5 mL
Minimum Volume
2.5 mL (Note: This volume does not allow for repeat testing.)
Container
Plastic urine container, no preservative
Collection
Sampling time is preshift (meaning 16 hours without exposure).
Optional protocol: Instruct the patient to void at 8 AM and discard the specimen. Then collect all urine including the final specimen voided at the end of the 24-hour collection period (ie, 8 AM the next morning). Screw the lid on securely. Mix well.
Storage Instructions
Maintain specimen at room temperature.
Stability Requirements
Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
Room temperature | 14 days |
Refrigerated | 14 days |
Frozen | 14 days |
Freeze/thaw cycles | Stable x3 |
Test Details
Use
Monitor exposure to mercury (primarily inorganic mercury). Some organic forms of mercury, including phenylmercury, are metabolized to inorganic mercury; however, methylmercury and ethylmercury are not metabolized to inorganic mercury and the primary route of excretion is in the bile and stool; consequently, these alkylmercury compounds are usually not detected in urine.2
Limitations
This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Methodology
Inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS)
Reference Interval
• Environmental exposure: <5.0 μg/g creatinine, <20.0 μg/L
• Occupational exposure: BEI® (inorganic mercury, sampling time is preshift): 20 μg/g creatinine1
Additional Information
BEI® are reference values intended as guidelines for evaluation of occupational exposure. BEI® represent biological levels of chemicals that correspond to workers with inhalation exposure equivalent to the threshold limit value (TLV®) of the chemicals. TLVs refer to the airborne concentrations of substances and represent conditions under which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse health effects.1
Footnotes
1. TLVs and BEIs, Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices 2010, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).
2. Baselt RC, Cravey RH, Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 4th ed, Chemical Toxicology Institute, 1995.
LOINC® Map
| Order Code | Order Code Name | Order Loinc | Result Code | Result Code Name | UofM | Result LOINC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007773 | Mercury, Urine | 21383-5 | 019307 | Mercury, Urine | ug/L | 21383-5 |
| 007773 | Mercury, Urine | 21383-5 | 019356 | Mercury,Urine 24 Hr | ug/24 hr | 6693-6 |
| 007773 | Mercury, Urine | 21383-5 | 723280 | Creatinine(Crt),U | g/L | 2161-8 |
| 007773 | Mercury, Urine | 21383-5 | 019310 | Mercury/Creat. Ratio | ug/g creat | 13465-0 |
© 2021 Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings and Lexi-Comp Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CPT Statement/Profile Statement
The LOINC® codes are copyright © 1994-2021, Regenstrief Institute, Inc. and the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) Committee. Permission is granted in perpetuity, without payment of license fees or royalties, to use, copy, or distribute the LOINC® codes for any commercial or non-commercial purpose, subject to the terms under the license agreement found at https://loinc.org/license/. Additional information regarding LOINC® codes can be found at LOINC.org, including the LOINC Manual, which can be downloaded at LOINC.org/downloads/files/LOINCManual.pdf