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. 2020 Oct 28;12(11):3305. doi: 10.3390/nu12113305

Table 1.

Overview of biomarkers of arsenic status.

Exposure Measurement Time Frame of Exposure Type of Arsenic Measured Method of Measurement Toxic Dose 1
Scalp Hair 6–12 months prior iAs Options:

  • Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

  • Neutron Activation Analysis

 1.0 < 3.0 mg/kg
Toenail 6–12 months prior iAs Options:

  • Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

  • Neutron Activation Analysis

 >0.5 µg/g
Blood Arsenic 2–6 h prior

  • Total arsenic

  • Speciated arsenic intermediate levels (iAsIII, iAsV, MMAIII, MMAV, DMAIII, DMAV, Ab, Ac and other oAs species)

  • High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

  • ICP-MS

  • Anion Exchange

 >130 nmol/L
Urinary Arsenic 4 days prior

  • Total arsenic

  • Speciated arsenic intermediate levels (iAsIII, iAsV, MMAIII, MMAV, DMAIII, DMAV, Ab, Ac and other oAs species)

  • HPLC

  • ICP-MS

  • Anion Exchange

 >100 ug/L (24- h) [41]
>50 μg/L (spot)

iAs: Inorganic arsenic, MMA: monomethylarsonic acid, DMA: dimethylarsinic acid, Ab: Arsenobetaine, Ac: Arsenocholine. 1 Indicates acute poisoning.