ARUP's Laboratory Test Directory

Thallium, Whole Blood : 0099610

Mnemonic: THALB

Methodology: Quantitative Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry
Performed: Tue, Fri
Reported: 1-5 days
Specimen Required: Patient Prep: Diet, medication, and nutritional supplements may introduce interfering substances. Patients should be encouraged to discontinue nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and non-essential over-the-counter medications (upon the advice of their physician).

Collect: Royal blue (K2EDTA or Na2EDTA).

Specimen Preparation: Transport 7 mL whole blood in the original collection tube. (Min: 0.5 mL)

Storage/Transport Temperature: Room temperature. Also acceptable: Refrigerated.

Unacceptable Conditions: Heparin anticoagulant. Frozen specimens.

Stability (collection to initiation of testing): If the specimen is drawn and stored in the appropriate container, the trace element values do not change with time.
Reference Interval:
Effective May 20, 2013
0.0-2 µg/L
Interpretive Data: Blood thallium levels reflect recent exposure as thallium has a biological half-life of approximately 2 to 4 days. Blood levels greater than 100 µg/L are considered toxic and greater than 300 µg/L indicate severe ingestion. After severe thallium poisonings, reported symptoms have varying times of onset and include gastroenteritis, multi-organ failure and neurologic injury. Peripheral neuropathy and alopecia are well-documented effects of acute and chronic exposure. Human health effects from low-level thallium exposure are unknown.
Note: Elevated results from noncertified trace element-free collection tubes may be due to contamination.  Elevated concentrations of trace elements in blood should be confirmed with a second specimen collected in a tube designed for trace element determinations, such as a royal blue (K2EDTA) or (Na2EDTA) tube.
CPT Code(s): 83018
Cross References: Tl (Thallium, Whole Blood), TLB (Thallium, Whole Blood)