QUICKSILVER SCIENTIFIC Blood Spot Card Metals User Guide
- June 10, 2024
- QUICKSILVER SCIENTIFIC
Table of Contents
Blood Spot Card Metals
User Guide
BLOOD SPOT CARD
METALS GUIDE
Blood Spot Card Sample Report
Elemental Analysis – Whole Blood
Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry
Lab Director: Christopher W. Shade, PhD
These test results are not intended for the diagnosis of disease. They are
intended for interpretation by qualified healthcare professionals with a full
knowledge of patient history to assist in their administration of an
appropriate healthcare regimen.
These test results are not intended for the diagnosis of disease. They are
intended for interpretation by quailed healthcare professionals with a full
knowledge of patient history to assist in their administration of an
appropriate healthcare regimen .
| Toxic Element | Exposure | Signs and Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Antimony | Antimony is a toxic element widely used in alloys to increase |
hardness or strength.
SOURCES: Solders, metal type (printing), antifriction alloys, ammunition
and powders, lead batteries, paints, enamels, glass and pottery glazes, flame
retardants, tobacco, rubber agents, mines/smelting operations.| Antimony
interferes with cellular metabolism, commonly deposits in erythrocytes and the
liver and is mostly excreted via bile and liver. Symptoms are variable and may
include metallic taste, anorexia, fatigue, myopathy, gout-like symptoms, MAO
dysfunction, hypertension, erythrocyte fragility and angina. Inhalation of Sb
may result in nosebleeds, rhinitis, and pneumonitis.
Arsenic| Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust and is
widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. It
is highly toxic in its inorganic form.
SOURCES: Drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food
preparation and irrigation of food crops, industrial processes, eating
contaminated food and smoking tobacco, rodent poisons, contaminated seafood
(especially shellfish), treated wood products, some fungicides and pesticides,
fireworks, leather tanning and taxidermy, and lead/copper alloys.| Arsenic
deposits quickly in liver, kidney, spleen, skin, bone and muscle. In tissues,
it binds to selenium, phospholipids or phosphatides, and to sulfur in
sulfhydryl groups on proteins, peptides and metabolic cofactors. Excessive
arsenic symptoms include garlic breath and increased salivation, fatigue,
chest pain, diarrhea, and hypotension. Chronic signs may include hair loss,
skin hypopigmentation, white-streaked fingernails, anorexia, peripheral
neuropathy.
Cadmium| Cadmium is a cumulative toxin with a biological half-life of 10
to 30 years for the whole body. It is synergistic with lead and mercury and
may worsen the toxic ejects of either. It may also interfere with zinc
functions (as an activator of enzymes).
SOURCES: CD-plated hardware (nuts and bolts), electroplating processes,
Nickel-Cd batteries, brazes and solders, Cd pigments (paints, inks, glazes),
cigarettes, old copy machine drums, plastics containing Cd-compounds as heat
stabilizers, photographic and engraving chemicals, sewage sludge and power
plant exhaust plumes, metal costume jewelry.| Glucosuria, proteinuria,
beta2-microblobulinuria, fatigue, hypertension, sexual impotency (males), and
microcytic-hypochromic anemia. Increased aging and reduced telomeres. Acute Cd
contamination may include increased salivation, nausea, abdominal pain,
vomiting, diarrhea, and choking sensations. Acute inhalation leads to
tightness of chest, dyspnea and cough, and pulmonary edema.
Lead| Lead toxicity is a particularly insidious hazard with the
potential of causing irreversible health ejects. It interferes with several
body functions primarily ejecting the central nervous, hematopoietic, hepatic
and renal system producing serious disorders. Acute toxicity is related to
occupational exposure and is quite uncommon. Chronic toxicity on the other
hand is much more prevalent.
SOURCES: Water pipes and systems, chips from old lead paint, art
supplies, colored glass kits, bullets, fishing sinkers, balance weights,
radiation shields, lead-acid batteries, bearing alloys, contaminated herbal
preparations and teas, certain ceramic glazes or pigments.| Calcium, zinc
and/or iron deficiency conditions enhance uptake of ingested lead. In the
body, absorbed lead rapidly leaves the blood plasma and accumulates in
erythrocytes where it binds to hemoglobin and thiols and to the cell membrane.
It can deposit in bone tissue, the aorta, kidneys and other organs. Lead
interferes with enzymes that form hemi, shortens erythrocyte lifespan,
disrupts iron transport in erythropoietic cells, abets renal transport of uric
acid, reduces cytochrome P-450 activity in children, and is synergistically
toxic with cadmium and mercury. Adults and children may present with anorexia,
metallic taste, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, anemia, reticulocytotic, and
uricemia.
Blood Spot Card Nutrient & Toxic Element Levels & Symptoms Guide
| Nutrient Element | Cause of Imbalance | Signs and Symptoms |
|---|
Copper
| LOW LEVELS: May occur secondary to malnutrition or intestinal
malabsorption. Measurement of ceruloplasmin is a mandatory prerequisite to
supplementation of copper when it is low in erythrocytes.
HIGH LEVELS: Wilson’s disease (a genetic disease where the accumulation
of copper in tissues leads to liver and brain damage). High levels may occur
during inflammatory responses, with redistribution of copper from the liver to
peripheral tissues. In females, some increase may result from estrogen therapy
or use of oral or copper IUD contraceptives.. Copper excess can occur when
zinc is displaced from functional binding sites. It may also displace
molybdenum. Conversely, zinc or molybdenum deficiencies may allow accumulation
of copper as does liver disease or biliary insufficiency/obstruction. Most
copper is excreted via bile and biliary dysfunction may cause excessive red
blood cell copper.| LOW: Copper insufficiency signs include fatigue,
maldigest ion, hair loss, poor night vision and reduced taste.
HIGH: Fatigue, anemia, dermatitis, metallic taste and loss of appetite,
and discoloration of teeth. Decreased zinc and molybdenum serum levels.
Selenium| LOW LEVELS: Poor quality diet, intestinal malabsorption,
or urinary wasting of selenium.
HIGH LEVELS: Contaminated drinking water and electronic components
including photovoltaic cells, batteries and semiconductors. Some inorganic
pigments and glazes and vulcanized rubber, metal bluing solutions (gun blues).
Dithiocarbonate insecticides and insect repellents may contain selenium.
Incorrectly formulated nutritional supplements.| LOW: Muscle aches,
hypothyroid function, sclerosing of tissue, anemia, increased dental caries,
inflammatory response, oxidative stress due to lowered antioxidant activity of
glutathione.
HIGH: Mild elevations of selenium are usually of no clinical
significance. Very excessive selenium can have toxic ejects and include the
following symptoms: fatigue, garlic-like breath, metallic taste, yellowish-to-
pink-red discoloration of nails, skin, teeth and eyelids, unstable blood
pressure, irregular menses, hair loss, anorexia, or lymphocytosis.
Zinc
| LOW LEVELS: Intestinal malabsorption, alcoholism, chronic ingestion of
highly-processed foods, chronic diarrhea, overuse of diuretics, and nephrotic
syndrome. Excess copper interferes with zinc binding in blood plasma and
reduces zinc retention. Excess iron intake may impair zinc absorption in the
small intestine.
HIGH LEVELS: Overuse of nutritional zinc supplements, eating or drinking
from galvanized containers, zinc-contaminated water or food, continual diet of
high-zinc foods (mostly shellfish, mushrooms, yeasts), and industrial
exposures.| LOW: Incomplete digestive proteolysis, food reactivities,
reduced taste, reduced night vision, muscle aches, slowed wound healing, hair
loss, dermatitis or sexual impotency. In children, slow growth or stunted
growth may occur. May cause increase in serum copper.
HIGH: Weakness, lethargy and fatigue, impaired fine motor skills, and
signs of iron or copper deficiency. Anemia.
Toxic Element| Exposure| Signs and Symptoms
---|---|---
Mercury| Human toxicity varies with the form of mercury, the dose and
the rate of exposure. The target organ for inhaled mercury vapor (inorganic
mercury from amalgams) is primarily the brain, while methyl mercury chiefly
damage the gut lining and kidney with wide distribution throughout the body.
SOURCES: Contaminated shellfish or seafood, contaminated water supply
(methylmercury), dental amalgams or working in the dental profession
(inorganic mercury), laboratory equipment, barometers, thermometers, mining
and smelting operations.| Variable symptoms that may include metallic taste,
increased salivation, paresthesia with decreased senses of hearing, touch, and
vision, hypertension, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, and fine muscle tremors.
Common mercury toxicity symptoms include emotional disturbance, significant
mood swings, anger outbursts, excitability and lack of focus and
concentration.
Copper/ Zinc Ratio (Cu/Zn)| The copper to zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) shows the
important relationship between copper and zinc in the body, and is useful for
two main reasons.
First, this ratio is helpful for monitoring zinc levels when taking zinc
supplements. Excess zinc supplementation may impair the absorption of copper,
leading to low copper levels. As a general rule, when supplementing zinc in
high amounts, copper is required to maintain the proper Cu/Zn ratio. Second,
understanding your Cu/Zn ratio can be useful to monitor high copper levels.
Individuals with elevated copper compared to zinc may want to increase their
zinc containing foods, or supplement with zinc. Adequate zinc levels support
the clearance of excess copper from the body
Scan QR code to watch a video from CEO Dr. Shade explaining the Blood Spot Card kit and test in detail.
Notes
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References
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