Blog — Cadmium

Heavy metal exposure can have detrimental effects on a child's development and overall health. However, with the advent of Heavy Metals Testing Kits, parents now have a convenient and accurate method to assess heavy metal levels in their children's bodies. These testing kits utilize dried blood spots and dried urine spots, offering a comprehensive solution to evaluate exposure to a range of toxic heavy metals. In this article, we will explore the benefits of heavy metals testing for children, focusing on the 14 essential elements tested through the Heavy Metals Testing (Comprehensive Toxic and Essential Elements) Profile. Detection of Toxic...

By Dr. Ted Zava, ZRT Laboratory. Have you considered what metals make up jewellery when shopping for jewellery.  Especially what metals make up earrings, bracelets, rings, and other shiny items? A report by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) in California detailed that cadmium was present in numerous jewellery items tested from stores [1]. The amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, ranged from 40-100% in the items testing positive. Is Cadmium Allowed in Jewellery? Surprisingly, there are no restrictions on the amount of cadmium allowed in adult jewellery in the United States. There is a limit of 0.03% cadmium in children’s jewellery...

For millions of women the world over the transformative promise of cosmetics is that looking and feeling more beautiful translates into feeling better about ourselves.  But could the beauty products we rely on to build our confidence by hiding our flaws, also be hiding the potential to make us sick? FDA Doesn't Regulate Cosmetics Like most women I had always assumed that any beauty product on the shelves has undergone testing to verify its contents are safe - so much for assumptions! Once I did a little digging into the subject, I found out that unlike pharmaceuticals or pesticides, chemical...

Urine, serum, plasma, whole blood, red blood cells, feces, hair, fingernails … the list goes on. How do you decide what biological sample(s) to use for element analysis? Can results be compared to scientific literature or do they have clinical significance? Is it possible for values to be elevated or low in one sample type and normal in another? Do test results indicate recent intake, body burden, acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, deficiency, or homeostatic regulation? These are just some of the questions facing a testing laboratory when they want to develop and validate essential and toxic element profiles that will...