Mercury is widespread in the environment and originates from natural and anthropogenic sources. The general population may be exposed to three forms of mercury: elemental, inorganic, or organic (primarily methyl mercury). The concentration of total mercury in urine is a bio-measure of exposure primarily to elemental and inorganic mercury, although some mercury in urine comes from de-methylation of methyl mercury in blood (Abe et al., 1995). Elemental and inorganic mercury exposure can result from mercury spills, dental amalgams, and occupational exposures. Both elemental and inorganic mercury are nephrotoxic and neurotoxic. Health effects related to low exposure in the general population are not well defined. In 1999-2002 NHANES measured urine mercury levels in all women aged 16-49 years. Since 2003-2004, urine mercury levels have been measured in a one-third subsample of participants aged 6 years and older.
All examined participants aged 3 to 5 years were eligible and participants aged 6 years and older from a one-third subsample were eligible.
This method directly measures the mercury content of urine specimens using mass spectrometry after a simple dilution sample preparation step. Liquid samples are introduced into the mass spectrometer through the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) ionization source, reduced to small droplets in an argon aerosol via a nebulizer, and then the droplets enter the ICP. The ions first pass through a focusing region, followed by the dynamic reaction cell (DRC), the quadrupole mass filter, and finally are selectively counted in rapid sequence at the detector, allowing individual isotopes of an element to be determined.
Refer to the Laboratory Method Files section for a detailed description of the laboratory methods used.
There were no changes to the lab method, lab equipment, or lab site for this component in the 2015-2016 cycle.
Iodine and Mercury, Urine Lab Procedure Manual (June 2018)
Urine samples are processed, stored, and shipped to the Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA for analysis.
Detailed instructions on specimen collection and processing are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory Procedures Manual (LPM). Vials are stored under appropriate frozen (–30°C) conditions until they are shipped to the National Center for Environmental Health for testing.
The NHANES quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols meet the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments mandates. Detailed QA/QC instructions are discussed in the NHANES LPM.
Mobile Examination Centers (MECs)
Laboratory team performance is monitored using several techniques. NCHS and contract consultants use a structured competency assessment evaluation during visits to evaluate both the quality of the laboratory work and the quality-control procedures. Each laboratory staff member is observed for equipment operation, specimen collection and preparation; testing procedures and constructive feedback are given to each staff member. Formal retraining sessions are conducted annually to ensure that required skill levels were maintained.
Analytical Laboratories
NHANES uses several methods to monitor the quality of the analyses performed by the contract laboratories. In the MEC, these methods include performing blind split samples collected on “dry run” sessions. In addition, contract laboratories randomly perform repeat testing on 2% of all specimens.
NCHS developed and distributed a quality control protocol for all CDC and contract laboratories, which outlined the use of Westgard rules (Westgard et al., 1981) used when running NHANES specimens. Progress reports containing any problems encountered during shipping or receipt of specimens, summary statistics for each control pool, QC graphs, instrument calibration, reagents, and any special considerations are submitted to NCHS quarterly. The reports are reviewed for trends or shifts in the data. The laboratories are required to explain any identified areas of concern.
All QC procedures recommended by the manufacturers were followed. Reported results for all assays meet the Division of Laboratory Sciences’ quality control and quality assurance performance criteria for accuracy and precision, similar to the Westgard rules (Caudill et al., 2008).
The data were reviewed. Incomplete data or improbable values were sent to the performing laboratory for confirmation.
Refer to the 2015-2016 Laboratory Data Overview for general information on NHANES laboratory data.
Subsample Weights
Urinary mercury was measured in a one third subsample of persons 6 years and older. Special sample weights are required to analyze these data properly. Specific sample weights for this subsample are included in this data file and should be used when analyzing these data.
Demographic and Other Related Variables
The analysis of NHANES laboratory data must be conducted using the appropriate survey design and basic demographic variables. The NHANES 2015-2016 Demographic Data File contains demographic data, health indicators, and other related information collected during the household interviews as well as the sample design variable. The recommended procedure for variance estimation requires use of stratum and PSU variables (SDMVSTRA and SDMVPSU, respectively) in the demographic data file.
Starting in the 2015-2016 NHANES cycle, the variable URXUCR (urine creatinine) will not be reported in this file. URXUCR can be found in the data file titled Albumin & Creatinine - Urine.
This laboratory data file can be linked to the other NHANES data files using the unique survey participant identifier SEQN.
Detection Limits
The detection limit was constant for the analyte in the data set. Two variables are provided for each of these analytes. The variable named ending in “LC” (ex., URDUHGLC) indicates whether the result was below the limit of detection: the value “0” means that the result was at or above the limit of detection, “1” indicates that the result was below the limit of detection. For analytes with analytic results below the lower limit of detection (ex., URDUHGLC=1), an imputed fill value was placed in the analyte results field. This value is the lower limit of detection divided by the square root of 2 (LLOD/sqrt [2]). The other variable prefixed URX (ex., URXUHG) provides the analytic result for the analyte.
The lower limit of detection (LLOD, in µg/L) for the urinary metals in the data set is:
| Variable Name | SAS Label | LLOD |
|---|---|---|
| URXUHG | Urinary mercury (ug/L) | 0.13 |
Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues.
| Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6552.119284 to 708844.24678 | Range of Values | 3231 | 3231 | |
| 0 | Participants 6+ years with no lab specimen | 48 | 3279 | |
| . | Missing | 0 | 3279 |
| Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.09 to 29.35 | Range of Values | 3080 | 3080 | |
| . | Missing | 199 | 3279 |
| Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | At or above the detection limit | 1282 | 1282 | |
| 1 | Below lower detection limit | 1798 | 3080 | |
| . | Missing | 199 | 3279 |