What Is the Specimen of Choice for Determining Arsenic Exposure

question 7

Multiple Choice

What is the specimen of choice for determining arsenic exposure in an individual and why?

• A) Urine is the specimen of choice because arsenic is concentrated in and excreted predominantly by kidneys.
• B) Whole blood is the specimen of choice because blood concentrations remain elevated for at least 48 hours after exposure.
• C) Serum is the specimen of choice because arsenic moves into the serum phosphate pool and is easily measured with phosphate.
• D) Plasma is the specimen of choice because arsenic attaches to coagulation factors and affects clotting times best assayed in a plasma sample.

---

Definitions:

Phosphorus

A chemical element essential for life, playing key roles in biological molecules like DNA, RNA, and ATP, and involved in energy transfer within cells.

Biological Magnification

The process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain.

Bioaccumulation

The concentration of a chemical pollutant in the tissues of an organism rises over the course of the organism’s lifetime.

Greenhouse Effect

Warming of Earth’s lower atmosphere and surface as a result of heat trapped by greenhouse gases.