Do I need a Mercury, blood test?
Experiencing unexplained fatigue, memory issues, or tingling in your hands and feet? Could mercury exposure be affecting your nervous system, and would testing help you find answers?
Mercury is a toxic metal that can accumulate in your body from contaminated fish, dental fillings, or environmental sources. When levels rise, it can damage your nervous system and kidneys.
Testing your mercury levels gives you a vital snapshot of potential toxic exposure, helping you identify whether mercury is behind your symptoms so you can adjust your diet, reduce exposure sources, and protect your long-term neurological health.
Get tested with Superpower
If you’ve been postponing blood testing for years or feel frustrated by doctor appointments and limited lab panels, you are not alone. Standard healthcare is often reactive, focusing on testing only after symptoms appear or leaving patients in the dark.
Superpower flips that approach. We give you full insight into your body with over 100 biomarkers, personalized action plans, long-term tracking, and answers to your questions, so you can stay ahead of any health issues.
With physician-reviewed results, CLIA-certified labs, and the option for at-home blood draws, Superpower is designed for people who want clarity, convenience, and real accountability - all in one place.
Key benefits of Mercury, blood testing
- Measures current mercury exposure from fish, dental fillings, or environmental sources.
- Flags toxic levels that may cause neurological symptoms like tremor or memory loss.
- Guides removal of exposure sources to prevent kidney and brain damage.
- Protects fertility by identifying levels that impair sperm quality or ovarian function.
- Supports pregnancy safety by detecting mercury that crosses the placenta and harms fetal development.
- Tracks detoxification progress after occupational or dietary exposure is reduced.
- Clarifies unexplained fatigue, numbness, or mood changes linked to chronic mercury toxicity.
- Best interpreted with symptom history and details of fish intake or amalgam fillings.
What is Mercury, blood?
Mercury in blood measures the amount of this toxic heavy metal circulating in your bloodstream at the time of testing. It enters the body primarily through diet, especially from fish and shellfish that accumulate mercury from polluted water, or through occupational and environmental exposures such as dental amalgams, industrial emissions, or broken thermometers.
Mercury doesn't belong in your body
Unlike essential minerals like iron or zinc, mercury serves no biological function. It is a potent neurotoxin that binds to proteins and enzymes, disrupting cellular processes throughout the body. The brain, kidneys, and developing fetuses are especially vulnerable.
Blood mercury reflects recent exposure
Blood levels rise and fall relatively quickly, making this test a snapshot of your current or very recent mercury intake. Organic mercury (methylmercury) from fish is absorbed efficiently and crosses into the brain and placenta. Inorganic mercury from other sources behaves differently but is still harmful.
Measuring blood mercury helps identify ongoing exposure and guides decisions about dietary choices, occupational safety, and medical interventions when levels are concerning.
Why is Mercury, blood important?
Blood mercury measures your body's exposure to a toxic heavy metal that disrupts cellular function across the nervous system, kidneys, and cardiovascular system. Even small amounts can interfere with enzyme activity, neurotransmitter signaling, and immune regulation. Because mercury accumulates over time, this test reveals both recent exposure and chronic burden.
When mercury stays undetectable
In healthy individuals, blood mercury is typically undetectable or extremely low, reflecting minimal exposure from diet or environment. This is the optimal state. The body has limited capacity to neutralize mercury, so the less present, the better.
What rising levels reveal about your body
Elevated blood mercury usually stems from consuming large predatory fish like swordfish, tuna, or shark, or from occupational and environmental sources. As levels rise, mercury binds to sulfur-containing proteins in neurons, impairing brain function and causing tremor, memory loss, mood changes, and numbness.
Children and developing fetuses are especially vulnerable. Mercury crosses the placenta and disrupts fetal brain development, affecting cognition and motor skills. In adults, chronic elevation damages the kidneys' filtration units and may increase cardiovascular risk through oxidative stress and endothelial injury.
The long view on mercury and health
Blood mercury connects environmental exposure to neurologic and renal health over decades. Persistent elevation accelerates cognitive decline, raises hypertension risk, and may contribute to autoimmune dysfunction. Monitoring this biomarker helps identify hidden toxicity before irreversible damage occurs.
What do my Mercury, blood results mean?
Low or undetectable mercury levels
Low values usually reflect minimal recent exposure to mercury from environmental or dietary sources. This is the expected and desirable state for most people. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal with no known physiological role in the human body, so lower levels indicate less burden on detoxification systems in the liver and kidneys and reduced risk of neurological, renal, or cardiovascular effects associated with chronic accumulation.
Optimal mercury levels
Being in range suggests that any mercury exposure from fish consumption, dental amalgams, or occupational contact remains below thresholds associated with clinical toxicity. For mercury, optimal is as low as measurable, ideally near or below detection limits. There is no beneficial level of mercury in blood.
Elevated mercury levels
High values usually reflect increased exposure, most commonly from consumption of large predatory fish such as tuna, swordfish, or shark, which bioaccumulate methylmercury. Occupational exposure and certain cultural or medicinal practices can also contribute. Elevated mercury can impair nervous system function, particularly in developing brains, and may affect kidney filtration, immune regulation, and cardiovascular health over time.
Factors that influence mercury results
Blood mercury reflects recent exposure over days to weeks. Levels vary with diet, geographic location, and individual detoxification capacity. Pregnancy and early childhood are periods of heightened vulnerability to neurotoxic effects.
Method: Laboratory-developed test (LDT) validated under CLIA; not cleared or approved by the FDA. Results are interpreted by clinicians in context and are not a stand-alone diagnosis.

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