Description
Metal toxicity is a significant environmental health concern. Over time, some elements can accumulate in tissues causing toxic effects. For example, a toxic load of lead, cadmium, mercury or arsenic is capable of rendering considerable damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children. Toxic elements produce their many negative effects through various mechanisms.
Lead toxicity causes anemia by binding enzymes in the hemoglobin synthesis pathway. Arsenic can induce cancer formation due to an inhibition of DNA repair. Cadmium, lead and nickel toxicity is linked to the free radical generation which damages our chromosomes. Mercury causes enzyme poisoning.
Health Consequences of Toxic Exposure can adversely affect:
- Energy levels
- Reproductive function
- Cancer risk
- Neurological development and function
- Respiratory, cardiac, hepatic, and immune functions
- Cognitive and emotional health
- Degenerative conditions
Analysis of the levels of toxic metals in urine after the administration of a metal detoxification agent is an objective way to evaluate the accumulation of toxic metals. Acute metal poisoning is rare. More common, however, is a chronic, low-level exposure to toxic metals that can result in significant retention in the body that can be associated with a vast array of adverse health effects and not chronic disease. One cannot draw valid conclusions about adverse health effects of metals without assessing net retention. For an individual, toxicity occurs when net retention exceeds physiological tolerance. Net retention is determined by the difference between the rates of assimilation and excretion of metals.
Many clinicians also request the analysis of essential elements in urine specimens to evaluate nutritional status and the efficacy of mineral supplementation during metal detoxification therapy. Metal detoxification agents can significantly increase the excretion of specific nutrient elements such as zinc, copper, manganese, and molybdenum.
Chromium metabolism authorities suggest that 24-hour chromium excretion likely provides the best assessment of chromium status. An Early indication of renal dysfunction can be gleaned from urinary wasting of essential elements such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium in an unprovoked specimen.
Variability in urine volume can drastically affect the concentration of elements. To compensate for urine dilution variation, elements are expressed per unit creatinine for timed collections. For 24-hour collections, elements are reported as both units per 24 hours and units per creatinine.
Download Sample Report
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.