Arsenic

check icon Optimal Result: 0 - 11.9 ug/g.

What is Arsenic?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in soil, rocks, groundwater, and some foods. It exists in two main forms:

  • Inorganic arsenic – the more toxic form, found in polluted groundwater, old pesticides, wood preservatives, and certain industrial processes.

  • Organic arsenic – less toxic, mainly found in seafood like shellfish and seaweed.

Most people encounter small amounts of arsenic daily through food and water. But when exposure is elevated or prolonged, arsenic can become harmful. The urine arsenic test (µg/g creatinine) is a reliable way to assess recent arsenic exposure.


Common Sources of Exposure

  • Water: wells or groundwater contaminated with inorganic arsenic

  • Food: rice, grains, leafy vegetables, and seafood (especially shellfish and seaweed)

  • Workplace: mining, smelting, glassmaking, or pesticide use

  • Environment: regions with naturally high arsenic in soil or water

  • Household: older pesticides or pressure-treated wood


Why Arsenic Exposure Matters

Arsenic is a toxic heavy metal that can affect nearly every organ system. Risks increase with long-term or high-level exposure:

  • Skin problems: rashes, pigmentation changes, thickened skin

  • Digestive upset: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea

  • Neurological symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, tingling in hands/feet, headaches

  • Immune suppression: more frequent infections, slower recovery

  • Organ stress: kidney and liver damage

  • Cardiovascular harm: high blood pressure, vascular damage, heart disease

  • Cancer: strong links to skin, bladder, and lung cancers from chronic inorganic arsenic exposure

Vulnerable groups include children, pregnant women, and individuals with impaired detoxification capacity.


Health Effects by Exposure

  • Short-term (acute) exposure: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, confusion, seizures (in severe cases)

  • Chronic (long-term) exposure: skin lesions, anemia, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, developmental delays, and cancer risk

Because arsenic can accumulate in the body over time, even moderate exposure may contribute to long-term health problems.


Why Test for Arsenic?

A urine arsenic test is especially important if you:

  • Live in an area with known arsenic contamination or rely on well water

  • Eat diets high in rice, seafood, or grains

  • Work in industries with metals, pesticides, or glass manufacturing

  • Have chronic symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues, or skin changes

  • Are undergoing a Heavy Metals or Total Tox Burden panel

  • Want to track detox progress after reducing exposure


Key Takeaway & How to Lower Risk

Elevated arsenic in urine means recent or ongoing exposure—usually from contaminated water, food, or workplace contact. While low-level exposure is common, high or chronic exposure increases risks of immune dysfunction, organ stress, and cancer.

Steps to lower your risk:

  • Drink filtered water (reverse osmosis or activated alumina systems are effective)

  • Choose low-arsenic rice and limit seaweed or shellfish from unverified sources

  • Avoid contact with arsenic-treated wood or old pesticides

  • Support detox with hydration, a nutrient-rich diet, and medical guidance

If your test shows elevated arsenic, consult a healthcare provider experienced in environmental or heavy metal medicine for next steps.

What does it mean if your Arsenic result is too high?

Elevated Arsenic – What It Means

Elevated arsenic levels show that your body has recently absorbed more of this toxic metal, usually from contaminated water, foods like rice or seafood, or workplace exposure. While small amounts are common, consistently high levels add to your overall toxic burden and raise your risk for health problems.


Potential Health Effects

High arsenic exposure can affect many systems in the body, leading to:

  • Digestive upset: nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea

  • Neurological symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, tingling, headaches

  • Skin changes: rashes, dark spots, thickened skin

  • Organ stress: strain on kidneys and liver

  • Immune suppression: frequent infections, slower recovery

  • Long-term risks: increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers (skin, bladder, lung)


Steps to Reduce Exposure

  • Check your water: Use reverse osmosis or activated alumina filters

  • Limit high-arsenic foods: Choose safer rice, shellfish, and seaweed sources

  • Avoid outdated pesticides and arsenic-treated wood

  • Support detox: Stay hydrated, eat nutrient-rich foods, and review nutrition or detox options with your provider


Key Takeaway

Elevated arsenic means your body is processing more than normal and could face long-term health risks if exposure continues. The priority is to identify and reduce sources; if symptoms persist or levels remain high, seek guidance from a provider familiar with environmental and heavy metal medicine.

All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.

Laboratories

Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place

We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.

lab corp logo
genova diagnostics logo
quest diagnostics logo
dutch test logo
doctors data logo
vibrant america logo
diagnostic solutions logo
zrt laboratory logo
the great plains laboratory logo
cyrex laboratories logo
spectracell logo

Pricing Table

decoration

Personal plans

$15/ month

Complete Plan

Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Begin with first report entered
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

$250/ once

Unlimited Account

Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Receive 10 reports entered for you
  • Skip the $15/month subscription — no recurring payments ever

$45/ month

Pro Monthly

Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track lab results for multiple clients
  • Customize reference ranges per client
  • Export lab histories and reports
  • Begin with first report entered by us
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

About membership

What's included in a Healthmatters membership

microscope icon Import Lab Results from Any Source

person icon See Your Health Timeline

book icon Understand What Your Results Mean

textbook icon

textbook icon Visualize Your Results

folder icon

folder icon

card icon Securely Share With Anyone You Trust

Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story

What Healthmatters Members Are Saying

5 stars rating

I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with  any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.

Anthony

Unlimited Plan Member since 2021

5 stars rating

What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!

Karin

Advanced Plan Member since 2020

5 stars rating

As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!

Paul

Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.

  • Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
  • Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.

With a Healthmatters account, you can:

  • Upload lab reports from any lab
  • View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
  • Track trends and monitor changes over time
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export and share your full lab history
  • Access your results anytime, from any device

Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

shield icon

We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

gdpr compliance image hipaa compliance image