The reference intervals for this test are Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA) thresholds.
The ordering physician will be contacted regarding any result exceeding OSHA thresholds to determine the level of workplace exposure and follow-up action.
Arsenic results exceeding the OSHA threshold will be fractionated to confirm the presence of toxic forms.
Measurement of urine excretion rates either before or after chelation therapy has been used as an indicator of lead exposure. However, blood lead analysis has the strongest correlation with toxicity.
Normally, the excretion of cadmium is proportional to creatinine. When renal damage has occurred, cadmium excretion increases relative to creatinine.
The correlation between the levels of mercury in the urine and clinical symptoms is poor, but urinary mercury is the most reliable way to assess exposure to inorganic mercury.