Screw the lid on securely. Maintain specimen at room temperature. Patient must avoid all seafood for 72 hours prior to collection. Seafood consumption 2-3 days prior to specimen collection can markedly elevate levels of total arsenic in urine. This dietary form of arsenic is nontoxic and is comprised primarily of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine.
Inorganic arsenic is used for industrial exposure monitoring.
Request form must state volume collected as 24-hour, if applicable. Submit original full, unopened tube. Venipuncture site must be disinfected with povidone-iodine or a similar product. Sampling time is end of shift for industrial exposure monitoring. Such chemicals do not accumulate in the body and, therefore, their timing is critical only in relation to the exposure period.