Boron, Serum/Plasma
Use
The Boron test is used to measure boron levels in serum or plasma, which can be indicative of boron exposure or dietary intake. Boron is a trace element that is found in the environment and could have biological effects. Elevated boron levels in serum/plasma can indicate excessive intake or exposure to boron. Determining boron levels is essential in situations where chronic exposure to boron is suspected, as it can lead to various health issues including hormonal disturbances and negative reproductive effects.
Special Instructions
Specimens must not be shared between multiple orders. All specimens must be collected in trace metal-free containers to avoid contamination. Care should be taken to draw blood using royal blue-top tubes that are pre-cleaned and contain no additives for serum or with EDTA for plasma. Specimens should be refrigerated after collection.
Limitations
This test may yield elevated results if there is environmental contamination during specimen collection. Using non-certified containers that are not trace metal-free can affect the accuracy, leading to falsely elevated boron measurements. Additionally, use of gel tubes, either for serum or plasma, can lead to rejection of the specimen. Patients with unexpected elevated results should have another specimen collected for retesting to confirm the outcome.
New York Approved
Methodology
Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Biomarkers
LOINC Codes
- 5607-7
- 5607-7
- 19147-8
Result Turnaround Time
6-13 days
Related Documents
For more information, please review the documents below
Specimen
Serum
Volume
2 mL
Minimum Volume
0.7 mL
Container
Plastic Royal Blue top tube (Trace metal-free; No additive)
Collection Instructions
Draw blood in a trace metal free royal blue-top, no additive tube(s). Centrifuge and aliquot 2 mL serum into an acid washed plastic screw capped vial. Label specimen as serum. Ship refrigerate.
Causes for Rejection
Glass container, Polymer gel separation tube (serum gel tube [SST] or plasma gel tube [PST])
Stability Requirements
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Room Temperature | 30 days |
| Refrigerated | 30 days |
| Frozen | 30 days |