Heavy metal and mineral tests measure elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, zinc and selenium in urine, blood or hair. Blood and urine show recent or ongoing exposure and are the samples doctors use. Hair results are affected by hair treatments and contamination and do not replace blood measures. Suspected lead or mercury poisoning needs a GP, with blood lead as the standard test. Verified practitioners can order Nutripath’s urine, blood and hair options through Vively.
| Test type | Elements measured in urine, blood or hair |
|---|---|
| Nutripath code | 5020, 5021, 5019, 1509, 5026, 5027, 5013, 5014 |
| Sample and collection | Spot urine or hair collected at home, or a blood draw at a partner collection centre for the red cell tests |
| Preparation | Avoid fish and shellfish for 3 days before a urine test. Keep taking prescribed medicines. For hair, cut close to the scalp from hair that has not been dyed, bleached or permed recently. |
| Turnaround | 7 business days (Nutripath estimate, from when the lab receives the sample). Allow extra days for postage. |
| Available through | Nutripath test ordered through Vively. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer it. |
| Pricing | Pricing in your practitioner account |
| Results | PDF report from Nutripath, filed in your client’s record and app beside their blood results |
Only practitioners can order this test. Ask your naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian whether they use Vively.
What do Nutripath’s heavy metal and mineral tests measure?
The tests cover around 15 toxic metals, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and aluminium, and essential minerals such as zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium and manganese. The sample decides what the result means.
Urine shows what the kidneys are clearing at the time of collection. It is the usual sample for arsenic, cadmium and inorganic mercury. Nutripath’s urine elements profile adds iodine, bromine and lithium.
Blood is the standard sample for lead and for methylmercury from fish. Red cell minerals give another view of zinc, magnesium and selenium status alongside the routine plasma tests.
Hair takes up elements from the blood as it grows, and also from shampoo, dye, sweat, water and dust. Results can suggest a pattern but are too variable to confirm toxicity or deficiency.
Nutripath reports each element against the reference interval on the report, with urine results often expressed against creatinine. The report is a PDF.
| Nutripath test | Code | Sample | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Metal Analysis | 5020 | Urine | 7 business days |
| Essential Mineral and Heavy Metal Analysis | 5021 | Urine | 7 business days |
| Essential Mineral Analysis | 5019 | Urine | 7 business days |
| Urine Elements Profile | 1509 | Urine | 7 business days |
| Red Cell or Whole Blood Metals | 5026 | Blood | 7 business days |
| Red Cell or Whole Blood Minerals | 5027 | Blood | 7 business days |
| Hair Mineral Analysis, Level 1 | 5013 | Hair | 7 business days |
| Hair Mineral Analysis, Level 2 | 5014 | Hair | 7 business days |
How do you order a heavy metal or mineral test through Vively?
- Get verified. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer tests. Practitioners with a recognised qualification or membership (ATMS, NHAA, ANTA, Dietitians Australia, NSA, CMA or Ahpra registration) can request free practitioner access.
- Build the order. Log in to the practitioner platform, choose the Nutripath test and add any blood tests or the $99 Baseline Health Check to the same order. Pricing shows in your account, and either your client or your practice can pay.
- Client collects at home. Nutripath sends your client the collection kit once the order is placed. Your client follows the kit instructions (a spot urine sample or a small hair sample at home, or, for the red cell tests, a blood draw at a partner collection centre using the tubes in the kit) and posts the sample back to Nutripath in the packaging provided.
- Review the report. Nutripath’s PDF report is filed in your client’s record and app, next to their blood results, ready for the follow-up consult.
See every Nutripath test you can order on the Nutripath tests page.
Order a heavy metal or mineral test with your client’s blood tests
Free access for verified naturopaths, nutritionists and dietitians. Order Nutripath tests and blood pathology in one place, and see every result in your client’s record.
What can metal and mineral tests tell you, and what can they not?
Blood and urine are well established for measuring exposure to specific metals. Hair testing and provoked urine testing are where most misleading results come from.
Hair results are affected by hair treatments and contamination and do not replace blood measures. When the same hair was sent to several commercial labs, the results and advice differed widely (Seidel et al., 2001).
Giving a chelating agent before a urine collection raises metal excretion even in people with normal exposure. The American College of Medical Toxicology advises against provoked urine testing to diagnose metal toxicity.
NHMRC recommends that if a person has a blood lead level above 5 micrograms per decilitre, the source of exposure should be investigated and reduced, particularly in a child or pregnant woman (NHMRC, 2015). In most states and territories a raised level is notified to public health, who can help find the source (NHMRC, 2016).
Fish and shellfish contain arsenobetaine, a harmless form of arsenic that raises total urine arsenic for a few days. A high total arsenic after seafood needs a repeat or speciation before anyone worries.
How do these tests fit with blood work?
Mineral status is usually best read from routine blood tests first. Use Nutripath’s tests to answer a specific exposure question.
- ReferRaised blood or urine lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium
Refer to the GP with the report and the suspected source. They can confirm with standard testing and involve public health if needed.
- CheckLow zinc on hair or red cells
Confirm with plasma zinc from a morning sample, and read it with albumin and hs-CRP, as inflammation lowers zinc.
- CheckLow magnesium or selenium on a mineral profile
Read with serum magnesium and selenium from the same order before supplementing.
- ContextAnaemia or low ferritin with a lead exposure history
Iron deficiency increases lead absorption. Treat the iron deficiency through the GP and check blood lead.
What can affect a heavy metal or mineral result?
- Fish and shellfish in the 3 days before a urine test, which raise arsenic and mercury
- Hair dye, bleach, perms, medicated shampoos and swimming pool water
- A chelating agent or binder given before collection
- Supplements containing zinc, selenium, iodine or other minerals
- Kidney function and how dilute the urine sample is
When should you refer the client to their GP?
- Any raised lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium result
- A child, pregnant woman or breastfeeding woman with possible lead exposure, such as old paint, renovation or certain traditional remedies
- Symptoms such as abdominal pain, new nerve symptoms, confusion or anaemia with a known exposure
- Occupational exposure, such as mining, smelting, battery work or firing ranges
- A client asking about chelation treatment
How should a client prepare for a heavy metal or mineral test?
Copy or print this to send to your client. Follow the instructions in the Nutripath kit if they differ.
Preparing for your heavy metal or mineral test
- For a urine test, don’t eat fish, prawns, oysters or other seafood for 3 days before you collect.
- Keep taking prescribed medicines. Tell your practitioner about any supplements, and ask whether to pause mineral supplements before the test.
- Collect the urine sample as the kit instructions say and post it back early in the week.
- For a hair test, cut about a tablespoon of hair close to the scalp at the back of the head. Use hair that hasn’t been dyed, bleached or permed in the last 2 months.
- If your kit has blood tubes, take the kit and request form to a partner pathology collection centre early in the week, then post the sample back.
- Your practitioner will receive the report and go through it with you.
What does the heavy metal and mineral report look like?
Nutripath publishes sample reports on its website. They open in a new tab.
- Heavy Metal Analysis sample report (PDF)
- Essential Mineral and Heavy Metal Analysis sample report (PDF)
- Essential Mineral Analysis sample report (PDF)
- Urine Elements Profile sample report (PDF)
- Red Cell or Whole Blood Metals sample report (PDF)
- Red Cell or Whole Blood Minerals sample report (PDF)
- Hair Mineral Analysis, Level 1 sample report (PDF)
- Hair Mineral Analysis, Level 2 sample report (PDF)
How do practitioners use metal and mineral tests with clients?
Start with the question: is there a likely exposure, such as an old house being renovated, a hobby, a job or a supplement? If there is, choose blood for lead and urine for arsenic, cadmium or inorganic mercury, and refer any raised result to the GP. For mineral status, routine blood tests for zinc, magnesium, selenium and iron come first. Use a hair result as background only, and never as the reason to start chelation or a long supplement plan.
Heavy metals and minerals FAQs
Can a naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian order a heavy metal test through Vively?
Yes. You need to be a verified practitioner to refer it. Add the Nutripath test to an order in the Vively practitioner platform, on its own or with blood tests. Pricing shows in your account. No account yet? Request free access.
Which sample is best for heavy metals?
It depends on the metal. Blood is the standard for lead and methylmercury, and urine for arsenic, cadmium and inorganic mercury. Hair results are affected by hair treatments and contamination and do not replace blood measures.
Is hair mineral analysis accurate?
Hair can show broad patterns over months, but results vary with hair products, washing and the lab used, and reference ranges are not well established. Use it as background, and confirm anything important with blood or urine.
Should I order a chelation challenge urine test?
No. Provoked urine testing raises metal levels in almost everyone, so it cannot tell exposure from normal. The American College of Medical Toxicology advises against it. Refer any suspected toxicity to the GP.
How long do heavy metal results take?
Nutripath estimates 7 business days from when the lab receives the sample. Allow a few extra days for postage.
References
- American College of Medical Toxicology. Position statement on post-chelator challenge urinary metal testing. Journal of Medical Toxicology. 2010.
- Seidel S, Kreutzer R, Smith D, McNeel S, Gilliss D. Assessment of commercial laboratories performing hair mineral analysis. JAMA. 2001.
- National Health and Medical Research Council. NHMRC statement: evidence on the effects of lead on human health. Canberra: NHMRC. May 2015.
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Managing individual exposure to lead in Australia: a guide for health practitioners. Canberra: NHMRC. April 2016.
- Nutripath. Heavy metal, mineral, red cell and hair mineral tests, test codes 1509, 5013, 5014, 5019, 5020, 5021, 5026 and 5027. nutripath.com.au, checked 1 October 2026.