Combined Test: Mercury Tri-Test & Blood Metals Panel

Preparation & Timing

• Blood sample collection must be performed by a phlebotomist. 
  • Information about scheduling a blood draw can be found HERE. 
• Collect your blood and urine samples within 48 hours of each other.
  • Collect your urine sample prior to your blood sample.
• Avoid chelating agents for 7 days prior to sample collection. Examples:
  • EDTA
  • ALA
  • Glutathione 
• Avoid the following foods for 72 hours prior to sample collection.
  • Seafood
  • Fish products
  • You may continue to take fish oils.
• You DO NOT need to fast prior to your blood draw.
• DO NOT collect your urine samples while menstruating.
• DO NOT send a hair sample that has been treated with a perm.
  • Other hair treatments, including hair dye, are okay.

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Collection Instructions

Urine Collection

1. Collect a mid-stream sample from your frst morning urination in the provided collection cup.
2. Pour urine from the cup into the provided test tube.
   1. Fill until the urine is between lines 9 and 11 on the tube. 
   2. Do NOT fill the tube to the top. 
3. Tightly cap the test tube.
4. Write the following information on a label. 
   1. Patient's full name
   2. Patient's date of birth
   3. Collection date  
5. Affix the label to the test tube.
6. Wrap the test tube in the absorbent cloth.
7. Place the wrapped test tube into the biohazard zip-top bag.
8. Place the zip-top bag back into the test kit box. 

Hair Collection 

1. Write the following information on a label. 
   1. Patient's full name
   2. Patient's date of birth
   3. Collection date  
2. Affix the label to the bag. 
3. Pinch a section of hair at the base of the back of your head. 
   1. The section of hair should be about 1/2-inch wide when flattened (about 100-200 strands of hair).
   2. If you do not have enough scalp hair or you have a perm, you can use pubic or body hair instead.
4. Cut the hair as close to the scalp as possible. 
5. Trim the hair sample to only keep the 1 inch closest to your skin. 
   1. Your sample should be about 1-inch long and 1/2-inch wide when laid flat.
   2. Double the width if your hair is too short (ie: 1-inch wide sample, about 300-400 strands of hair)
6. Place the hair sample into the collection bag. 
7. Seal the bag tightly. 
8. Place the hair collection bag back into the test kit box.

Blood Collection

1. Schedule your blood draw appointment for Monday - Wednesday only.
2. Complete the test requisition form.
3. Bring the following items with you to your blood draw appointment.
   1. Test kit
   2. Urine sample
   3. Hair sample 
   4. Completed test requisition form
4. The phlebotomist will collect, prepare, and ship your samples for you.
   1. You will need to collect 2 tubes of blood for this test.
   2. You can view the phlebotomist collection instructions HERE.

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Requisition & Payment

• Your kit has been prepaid. You may need to pay a separate fee for phlebotomy.
• Instructions on how to fill out your requisition can be found HERE.
  • Since you pre-paid for your tests, you do not need to fill in the payment information on any of these forms.

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Shipping

• Bring your urine and hair samples with you to your blood draw appointment. 
• Make a note of the tracking number on the return mailer so that you can track your samples back to the lab. 
• The phlebotomist will ship your samples for you using the materials provided in the test kit.
  • Samples should be shipped Monday - Wednesday only.

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Results

• Results should be released to your provider about 3 weeks after samples are received at the lab. We cannot guarantee processing time. 
• Your provider will notify you when your results are in and schedule a follow-up appointment for you to review them together.

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More Resources

• Test Information
  • Mercury Tri-Test Panel Info Page
  • Blood Metals Panel Info Page
  • Quicksilver Metals Testing Info Page
• Collection Information 
  • [PDF] How to Collect Your Sample
• Other Resources
  • Quicksilver Patient FAQ

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Questions?

For general questions, email Rupa Health at support@rupahealth.com. For test-specific questions, contact Quicksilver Scientific by calling 1-303-531-0861 or chatting with support.