Lead Blood Test

Description: Lead is a chemical that is poisonous in large amounts. This lead test will determine the level of lead in the blood. If the lead level comes back high and out of range it is important to work with a licensed healthcare provider to treat the excess amount along with identifying the source and doing what you can to eliminate exposure.

Also Known As: Blood Lead Test, Blood Lead Level Test, BLL Test

Collection Method: Blood Draw

Specimen Type: Whole Blood

Test Preparation: No preparation required

Average Processing Time: 2 to 3 days

When is a Lead test ordered?

When lead exposure is a concern, blood lead tests may be required to check individuals in the workplace. Because lead can be taken home on clothing, family members may also be checked. This testing complies with federal and state occupational exposure regulations.

Adult blood lead screening does not yet have a nationwide standard like it does for children. Clinical cut-off values for increased blood lead differ by state at the moment. A national health goal for 2015, according to the CDC's Adult Blood Lead Surveillance program, is to reduce all blood lead levels in adults to less than or equal to 5 mcg/dL.

Adults who work in industries that are known to expose people to lead, such as smelters, lead plating, auto repair, and construction, should be tested for lead exposure. Adults who use lead-based paints, ceramics, or gasoline in their hobbies should also be evaluated. See the article on Lead Poisoning for a list of hobbies that could expose someone to high levels of lead.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established guidelines for workplace lead monitoring. Employee blood monitoring programs must be triggered by the findings of an initial air monitoring program, according to OSHA. If a worker's initial blood lead test result is greater than 40 mcg/dL, testing should be done every two months until two consecutive lead tests reveal a blood lead level of less than 40 mcg/dL. Higher amounts necessitate more careful monitoring.

When a person's symptoms imply possible lead poisoning, lead testing may be done for both children and adults. Fatigue, changes in mood, nausea, extended stomach trouble, headache, tremors, weight loss, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, reproductive failure, encephalopathy, memory loss, seizures, and coma are examples of non-specific symptoms. Although many youngsters show no outward signs at the time of exposure, lasting damage might nonetheless occur. Children with growth failure, anemia, sleep issues, hearing loss, or speech, language, or attention deficits should be tested for lead exposure.

What does a Lead blood test check for?

Lead is a soft metal that is found in nature. Lead can harm the brain, organs, and nervous system when it is inhaled or swallowed. This test determines the current blood lead level.

Lead can cause irreparable damage even at low levels without creating physical symptoms. Lead poisoning in children can result in long-term cognitive impairment, behavioral problems, and developmental delays. Lead poisoning can result in weariness, anemia, nausea, weight loss, fatigue, headaches, stomach discomfort, renal, neurological system, and reproductive system problems. Lead poisoning can be passed down from mothers to their unborn children, resulting in miscarriages and early deliveries.

Lead was once used in paints, gasoline, water pipes, and other home products, including canned food solder. Lead is still utilized in many products and industrial processes in the United States and around the world, despite its limited use in the United States. Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated household dust may be found in homes built before 1978. The soil around these homes could be contaminated with lead as well.

Children under the age of six are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning because they frequently put their hands in their mouths, ingesting lead dust or paint chips. They can also breathe lead dust and eat or chew lead-contaminated food. Adult lead exposure is typically linked to work or recreational activities. When lead pollution is taken home on the work clothes of parents who work with lead, their children may be exposed.

Lab tests often ordered with a Lead test:

• Heavy Metals Panel
• Mercury
• Zinc Protoporphyrin (ZPP)

Conditions where a Lead test is recommended:

• Lead poisoning

How does my health care provider use a Lead test?

The lead test is used to assess the amount of lead in a blood sample at the time it was taken. The blood lead test is performed to check for lead poisoning. It may also be ordered to evaluate treatment effectiveness and ensure that lead levels are lowering over time.

Local lead concentrations are monitored in accordance with state and national guidelines. Screening children for lead exposure is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a number of other organizations. Over the last 45 years, testing recommendations and the definition of an elevated blood lead level have changed dramatically.

To identify children living in circumstances where they are exposed to lead hazards, the CDC utilizes a blood lead level of 5 mcg/dL as a criterion. Environmental examinations to determine lead sources, education of family members about lead poisoning, and follow-up testing to monitor the disease are all recommended for children with elevated blood lead levels. According to AAP standards, children should be tested for iron deficiency and overall nutrition. BLLs will need to be tracked over time until the environmental investigations and remedies are finished. Children with BLLs above 45 mcg/dL should be evaluated and treated.

Blood lead levels are monitored in workers who work in a lead-contaminated environment. It's used to assess both long-term and current lead exposure. A zinc protoporphyrin test is sometimes requested. When lead starts to influence red blood cell formation, the ZPP rises. Although it is not sensitive enough to be used as a screening tool for children, it may be ordered to determine average lead exposure in adults over the previous several weeks.

What do my Lead blood test results mean?

The more lead in the blood, the higher the test result. The amount of lead in the blood, on the other hand, does not always reflect the total amount of lead in the body. This is due to the fact that lead travels from the lungs and intestinal system to the blood and organs, where it is progressively eliminated and stored in tissues like bones and teeth. The danger caused by a given lead level is determined by the person's age and health, the amount of lead they are exposed to, and the length of time they are exposed to elevated lead levels.

Lead poisoning is harmful to everyone, but children are more sensitive. To identify children living in circumstances where they are exposed to lead hazards, the CDC utilizes a blood lead level of 5 mcg/dL as a criterion. Any test results that exceed this threshold should be managed and monitored. Any youngster with a high blood lead level should have his or her home or other surroundings assessed. Other members of the household should also be tested. The elevated lead level will most likely return unless the cause of the exposure - a lead danger in the environment - is eliminated or reduced.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health declared 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood as an increased blood lead level in adults in 2015. Blood lead levels in adults should be kept below 10 micrograms per deciliter, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. When BLLs are greater than or equal to 50 mcg/dL or larger than or equal to 60 mcg/dL in general industry, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration Lead Standards require workers to be removed from lead exposure, and allow workers to return to work when their BLL is less than 40 mcg/dL. If the client is symptomatic at any dose below 70 mcg/dL, removal may be indicated.

Because lead can flow through the bloodstream to an unborn child, pregnant women should restrict their lead exposure to keep their blood levels as low as possible in order to safeguard the developing fetus.

Unless the kid is encephalopathic, most doctors agree that a youngster with a lead level more than 45 mcg/dL should be treated with succimer/chelator in the hospital. Any lead level more than 70 mcg/dL in a child or adult should be treated as a medical emergency.

We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.

Clinical Significance
Micronutrient, Lead, Blood (Venous) - Blood lead level analysis is performed to evaluate the body burden of lead.

Patients must be 18 years of age or greater.

Reference Range(s)
≥18 years    <3.5 mcg/dL
Reference range not available for individuals <18 years for this micronutrient test.

Description: The Zinc Protoporphyrin test is a blood test that measures levels of zinc protoporphyrin in your blood to screen for lead exposure and iron deficiency anemia.

Also Known As: ZP Test, ZPP Test, Free Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin Test, FEP Test

Collection Method: Blood Draw

Specimen Type: Whole Blood

Test Preparation: No preparation required

Average Processing Time: 3 to 4 days

When is a Zinc Protoporphyrin test ordered?

When long term exposure to lead is known or suspected, ZPP may be done in addition to a lead test.

When an individual participates in a program for occupational lead monitoring or when they regularly come into contact with lead through a pastime, such as working with stained glass, the test may be required.

ZPP may be requested when there is a suspicion of iron insufficiency in children or adolescents or as a screening test for the condition.

What does a Zinc Protoporphyrin blood test check for?

Small levels of zinc protoporphyrin are typically found in red blood cells, although the level may rise in lead poisoning and iron shortage patients. The ZPP level in the blood is determined by this test.

It is first required to understand heme in order to comprehend how lead poisoning and iron deficiencies impact the ZPP level. The protein hemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells and delivers oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and cells, must have heme as one of its constituent parts.

An iron atom is inserted into the core of a molecule known as protoporphyrin to complete the process of heme synthesis. When zinc is present, as in lead poisoning, or when iron cannot be inserted into the body, as in iron shortage, protoporphyrin combines with zinc to create zinc protoporphyrin. Since ZPP cannot bind to oxygen, it has no functional function in red blood cells.

Lab tests often ordered with a Zinc Protoporphyrin test:

• Iron Total
• Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity
• Ferritin
• Hemoglobin
• Hematocrit
• Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Conditions where a Zinc Protoporphyrin test is recommended:

• Lead poisoning
• Iron Deficiency Anemia

How does my health care provider use a Zinc Protoporphyrin test?

Iron deficiency in children and chronic lead poisoning in adults are the two main conditions for which zinc protoporphyrin is prescribed.

Red blood cells often contain modest levels of the chemical ZPP. The majority of the protoporphyrin in red blood cells interacts with iron to create heme, which is the oxygen-carrying molecule in hemoglobin. When there is not enough iron available to produce heme, as in iron deficiency, or when lead is present and prevents the synthesis of heme, as in lead poisoning, zinc joins with protoporphyrin instead of iron. With these conditions, the blood's ZPP concentration will increase.

To test for chronic lead exposure, ZPP testing may be requested in addition to a lead level. People who reside in older homes and hobbyists who work with materials containing lead may be more susceptible to contracting lead poisoning. Lead levels may be enhanced in those who inhale lead-containing dust, touch lead directly, contaminate their hands, and then eat. Lead and ZPP levels in children who eat lead-containing paint chips may be raised.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration highly advises that a ZPP test be done each time a lead level is requested in an industrial setting in order to monitor an employee's exposure to lead. Both are required since ZPP does not alter fast when a person's source of lead exposure is eliminated and it does not represent recent or acute lead exposure. ZPP is most effective at determining a person's average lead exposure over the previous 3–4 months.

As readings do not increase until lead concentrations are over the permissible threshold, ZPP is not sensitive enough to be used as a lead screening test in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established a very low level as the maximum lead concentration deemed acceptable for children. To identify lead exposure in this age range, tests that assess the blood lead levels are performed.

The ZPP test may be requested in order to detect iron insufficiency in children at an early stage. Most young people will have elevated ZPP levels prior to showing any signs or symptoms of anemia, which is one of the early indicators of inadequate iron storage. To confirm iron insufficiency, more detailed testing of iron status are needed.

What do my Zinc Protoporphyrin test results mean?

Typically, there is very little ZPP in the blood. The cause of a disruption in heme production can be inferred from an increase in ZPP, but the explanation is not always clear. Iron deficiency and lead poisoning are the main causes of increases in ZPP.

It's crucial to consider a person's history, clinical observations, and the outcomes of additional tests including ferritin, lead, and a complete blood count when evaluating ZPP levels. The patient may suffer from both lead toxicity and iron deficiencies.

ZPP represents the average lead level over the past three to four months in situations of chronic lead exposure. A ZPP test, however, cannot identify the quantity of lead that is now present in the blood as well as the amount that is present in the organs and bones. Following exposure, ZPP values increase more gradually than blood lead concentrations, and they take longer to decline once lead exposure has ended.

The most frequent cause of an increase in ZPP in children is iron insufficiency. Following iron supplementation, a declining ZPP value over time certainly suggests a successful course of treatment.

We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.

The CW Lead OSHA contains the following tests:

• Lead, Blood (OSHA)
• Zinc Protoporphyrin (ZPP)

Description: Lead is a chemical that is poisonous in large amounts. This lead test will determine the level of lead in the blood. If the lead level comes back high and out of range it is important to work with a licensed healthcare provider to treat the excess amount along with identifying the source and doing what you can to eliminate exposure.

Important: This test differs from the standard Lead, Blood test #599 in that that reference range provided is for industrial exposure.

Industrial Exposure

<40 mcg/dL

mcg/dL = mcg/100g for OSHA
(Refer to current governmental regulations for exposure criteria.)

Also Known As: Blood Lead Test, Blood Lead Level Test, BLL Test

Collection Method: Blood Draw

Specimen Type: Whole Blood

Test Preparation: No preparation required

When is a Lead test ordered?

When lead exposure is a concern, blood lead tests may be required to check individuals in the workplace. Because lead can be taken home on clothing, family members may also be checked. This testing complies with federal and state occupational exposure regulations.

Adult blood lead screening does not yet have a nationwide standard like it does for children. Clinical cut-off values for increased blood lead differ by state at the moment. A national health goal for 2015, according to the CDC's Adult Blood Lead Surveillance program, is to reduce all blood lead levels in adults to less than or equal to 5 mcg/dL.

Adults who work in industries that are known to expose people to lead, such as smelters, lead plating, auto repair, and construction, should be tested for lead exposure. Adults who use lead-based paints, ceramics, or gasoline in their hobbies should also be evaluated. See the article on Lead Poisoning for a list of hobbies that could expose someone to high levels of lead.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established guidelines for workplace lead monitoring. Employee blood monitoring programs must be triggered by the findings of an initial air monitoring program, according to OSHA. If a worker's initial blood lead test result is greater than 40 mcg/dL, testing should be done every two months until two consecutive lead tests reveal a blood lead level of less than 40 mcg/dL. Higher amounts necessitate more careful monitoring.

When a person's symptoms imply possible lead poisoning, lead testing may be done for both children and adults. Fatigue, changes in mood, nausea, extended stomach trouble, headache, tremors, weight loss, peripheral neuropathy, anemia, reproductive failure, encephalopathy, memory loss, seizures, and coma are examples of non-specific symptoms. Although many youngsters show no outward signs at the time of exposure, lasting damage might nonetheless occur. Children with growth failure, anemia, sleep issues, hearing loss, or speech, language, or attention deficits should be tested for lead exposure.

What does a Lead blood test check for?

Lead is a soft metal that is found in nature. Lead can harm the brain, organs, and nervous system when it is inhaled or swallowed. This test determines the current blood lead level.

Lead can cause irreparable damage even at low levels without creating physical symptoms. Lead poisoning in children can result in long-term cognitive impairment, behavioral problems, and developmental delays. Lead poisoning can result in weariness, anemia, nausea, weight loss, fatigue, headaches, stomach discomfort, renal, neurological system, and reproductive system problems. Lead poisoning can be passed down from mothers to their unborn children, resulting in miscarriages and early deliveries.

Lead was once used in paints, gasoline, water pipes, and other home products, including canned food solder. Lead is still utilized in many products and industrial processes in the United States and around the world, despite its limited use in the United States. Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated household dust may be found in homes built before 1978. The soil around these homes could be contaminated with lead as well.

Children under the age of six are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning because they frequently put their hands in their mouths, ingesting lead dust or paint chips. They can also breathe lead dust and eat or chew lead-contaminated food. Adult lead exposure is typically linked to work or recreational activities. When lead pollution is taken home on the work clothes of parents who work with lead, their children may be exposed.

Lab tests often ordered with a Lead test:

• Heavy Metals Panel
• Mercury
• Zinc Protoporphyrin (ZPP)

Conditions where a Lead test is recommended:

• Lead poisoning

How does my health care provider use a Lead test?

The lead test is used to assess the amount of lead in a blood sample at the time it was taken. The blood lead test is performed to check for lead poisoning. It may also be ordered to evaluate treatment effectiveness and ensure that lead levels are lowering over time.

Local lead concentrations are monitored in accordance with state and national guidelines. Screening children for lead exposure is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a number of other organizations. Over the last 45 years, testing recommendations and the definition of an elevated blood lead level have changed dramatically.

To identify children living in circumstances where they are exposed to lead hazards, the CDC utilizes a blood lead level of 5 mcg/dL as a criterion. Environmental examinations to determine lead sources, education of family members about lead poisoning, and follow-up testing to monitor the disease are all recommended for children with elevated blood lead levels. According to AAP standards, children should be tested for iron deficiency and overall nutrition. BLLs will need to be tracked over time until the environmental investigations and remedies are finished. Children with BLLs above 45 mcg/dL should be evaluated and treated.

Blood lead levels are monitored in workers who work in a lead-contaminated environment. It's used to assess both long-term and current lead exposure. A zinc protoporphyrin test is sometimes requested. When lead starts to influence red blood cell formation, the ZPP rises. Although it is not sensitive enough to be used as a screening tool for children, it may be ordered to determine average lead exposure in adults over the previous several weeks.

What do my Lead blood test results mean?

The more lead in the blood, the higher the test result. The amount of lead in the blood, on the other hand, does not always reflect the total amount of lead in the body. This is due to the fact that lead travels from the lungs and intestinal system to the blood and organs, where it is progressively eliminated and stored in tissues like bones and teeth. The danger caused by a given lead level is determined by the person's age and health, the amount of lead they are exposed to, and the length of time they are exposed to elevated lead levels.

Lead poisoning is harmful to everyone, but children are more sensitive. To identify children living in circumstances where they are exposed to lead hazards, the CDC utilizes a blood lead level of 5 mcg/dL as a criterion. Any test results that exceed this threshold should be managed and monitored. Any youngster with a high blood lead level should have his or her home or other surroundings assessed. Other members of the household should also be tested. The elevated lead level will most likely return unless the cause of the exposure - a lead danger in the environment - is eliminated or reduced.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health declared 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood as an increased blood lead level in adults in 2015. Blood lead levels in adults should be kept below 10 micrograms per deciliter, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. When BLLs are greater than or equal to 50 mcg/dL or larger than or equal to 60 mcg/dL in general industry, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration Lead Standards require workers to be removed from lead exposure, and allow workers to return to work when their BLL is less than 40 mcg/dL. If the client is symptomatic at any dose below 70 mcg/dL, removal may be indicated.

Because lead can flow through the bloodstream to an unborn child, pregnant women should restrict their lead exposure to keep their blood levels as low as possible in order to safeguard the developing fetus.

Unless the kid is encephalopathic, most doctors agree that a youngster with a lead level more than 45 mcg/dL should be treated with succimer/chelator in the hospital. Any lead level more than 70 mcg/dL in a child or adult should be treated as a medical emergency.

We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.

Elevated urinary lead concentration is indicative of chronic lead toxicity. Urinary lead concentrations may be used to monitor detoxification therapy.

Elevated urinary lead concentration is indicative of chronic lead toxicity. Urinary lead concentrations may be used to monitor detoxification therapy.