Home
HelpTest Code HGU Mercury, 24 Hour, Urine
Reporting Name
Mercury, 24 Hr, UUseful For
Detecting mercury toxicity in 24-hour urine specimens
Method Name
Triple-Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS)
Performing Laboratory
Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester
Specimen Type
UrineNecessary Information
24-Hour volume (in milliliters) is required.
Specimen 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: Urine Tubes, 10 mL (T068)
Collection Container/Tube: Clean, plastic urine container with no metal cap or glued insert
Submission Container/Tube: Plastic, 10-mL urine tube or a clean, plastic aliquot container with no metal cap or glued insert
Specimen Volume: 3 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Collect urine for 24 hours.
2. Refrigerate specimen within 4 hours of completion of 24-hour collection.
3. See Metals Analysis Specimen Collection and Transport for complete instructions.
Additional Information: See Urine Preservatives-Collection and Transportation for 24-Hour Urine Specimens for multiple collections.
Specimen Minimum Volume
1.5 mL
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urine | Refrigerated (preferred) | 7 days | |
| Frozen | 7 days |
Reject Due To
All specimens will be evaluated at Mayo Clinic Laboratories for test suitability.Special Instructions
Reference Values
0-17 years: Not established
≥18 years: <2 mcg/24 h
Toxic concentration: >50 mcg/24 h
The concentration at which toxicity is expressed is widely variable between patients. 50 mcg/24 h is the lowest concentration at which toxicity is usually apparent.
Day(s) Performed
Monday through Friday
CPT Code Information
83825
LOINC Code Information
| Test ID | Test Order Name | Order LOINC Value |
|---|---|---|
| HGU | Mercury, 24 Hr, U | 6693-6 |
| Result ID | Test Result Name | Result LOINC Value |
|---|---|---|
| 8592 | Mercury, 24 Hr, U | 6693-6 |
| TM5 | Collection Duration | 13362-9 |
| VL3 | Urine Volume | 3167-4 |
Clinical Information
The correlation between the levels of mercury (Hg) excretion in the urine and the clinical symptoms is considered poor.
Previous thought indicated urine as a more appropriate marker of inorganic mercury because organic mercury represented only a small fraction of urinary mercury. Based on possible demethylation of methylmercury within the body, urine may represent a mixture of dietary methylmercury and inorganic mercury. Seafood consumption can contribute to urinary mercury levels (up to 30%),(1) which is consistent with the suggestion that due to demethylation processes in the human body, a certain proportion of urinary mercury can originate from dietary consumption of fish/seafood.(2)
For more information see HG / Mercury, Blood.
Interpretation
Daily urine excretion of mercury above 50 mcg/day indicates significant exposure (per World Health Organization standard).
Cautions
To avoid contamination by dust, specimen should be collected away from the site of suspected exposure.
Method Description
The metal of interest is analyzed by triple-quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.(Unpublished Mayo method)