Explaining the Science behind the Heavy Metal Test

Dr. Joachim Leman
Medical Laboratory Expert –Toxicologist
Germany

Heavy Metal Test (HMST)
In the eyes of a chemist, this test is composed of two essential chemical steps. The first one is a complex forming reaction between metal ions and Dithizone at the phase border separating aqueous solution and Testsol-phase; the second one is an extraction of the performed complex into the organic layer. The two essential steps as well as the preceding one and the evaluation procedures are very common processes in analytical chemistry and form part of many other determination methods used in clinical chemistry.

Dithizone (1,5-Diphenylthiocarbazone) is a current reagent since it was introduced in trace-analytical chemistry in 1925. It is excellently suited for trace determination of one- to three valent ions of several transition metals. The formed complexes vary in composition and color depending on pH and dipole strength of the solvent in use. Thus they can be applied for the discrimination of different elements and their quantification by colorimetric.

Testsol is a proprietary product, which joins the advantages of ecological harmlessness, lack of toxicity and inflammability under normal conditions, whereas the chloromethanes used up to now are highly toxic and ecologically objectionable.

The comparative colorimetric evaluation is performed by matching color panels with printed colors based on the Pantone code defined colors of pure complexes. In our hands this match was astonishingly reliable.

We thoroughly investigated the sensitivity and specificity of the HMST- system and we can furnish the proof at any time that the detection of the claimed individual metal species of toxicological relevance is possible at the lower ppm- level. Under favorable circumstances we could detect metal ions even at the ppb –level. Thus one can obtain important preliminary information for clinical decisions in the medical cabinet or during a bed-side-examination.

The high sensitivity of this test-kit is naturally dependent on the correct test-execution and prone to failure due to e.g. omitted pH-adjustments, shortened waiting periods or wrong consecution of additions.

So you can see that there is no room for any doubts concerning the respectability and reliability of the HMST Test-Kit. It is based on a scientifically approved method and suitable for clinical purposes so that health insurance companies are supposed to refund the costs for its execution.

Yours sincerely,
Dipl.-Chem.Dr.rer.nat. Joachim Leman

Further Excerpts from Expert Evaluations of Heavy Metal Screening

[ ... ] We thoroughly investigated the test system with regard to its sensitivity and its specificity and found consistent evidence that it is possible to detect individual toxicologically relevant metals in urine or water specimens in the range of a few ppm, at times even fractions of one ppm. This makes it possible to obtain on the spot clinically important preliminary data [ ... ]
(J. Lemann, Dr. rer.nat., Toxicologist and Medical Expert, Institute for Toxicology and Medical Laboratory Diagnostics, Hirschberg , Germany )

[ ... ] This report is intended to be an independent assessment of the claims of performance of a novel detection system for some transition metals. These materials are commonly known as toxic or heavy metals. [...] it was found that the system shows remarkable sensitivity for such a simple procedure [ ... ]
(K.H. Bell, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry, The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia )

[ ... ] Until the beginning of the nineteen-seventies this reagent was in predominant use for the detection of heavy metal traces in the water supply. It is a certified German Government Standard procedure for water supply analyses. [ ... ]
(G. Schwedt, Dr. rer.nat., Professor and Director, Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Technical University of Clausthal, Germany)

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