Animal Hair Testing
Setting a new Global Standard in Australia
THE BOTTOM LINE
"Finally, someone is focusing on us!"
Animals, like humans, can be exposed to toxic heavy metals. And like humans, animals can suffer and get sick as a result. The main purpose of this test is to reveal possible exposure to harmful toxic metals and metalloids. We do this so that you can then do something about it. In addition to the ways humans can be exposed to specific heavy metals, animals have unique exposures through the food they eat, the water they drink and the dirt and dust they live and play in.
And like humans, animals accumulate metals in the body over time. These metals interfere in mostly negative ways with body functioning. Left unchecked this eventually progresses, and often in this order - accumulation of metal in body tissues - then metabolic and cellular disruption - then physical or mental signs - then physical or mental symptoms and finally - chronic or recurrent illness.
More than half of the Metals & Minerals we test are known to be toxic, dangerous, carcinogenic or have unknown effects on animals and humans. Long red bars in your results make it imperative to investigate possible exposure routes. Evidence indicates that results with longer red bars correlate well with even low levels of consistent exposure to these metals.
Getting The Most From Your Result Visualisation
"Yes, but it has got to be clear, actionable and evidence-based. No pussy-footing around!"
THE COLOUR BARS
The objective of this visualisation is to make your result interpretation simple, quick and immediately clear and actionable. The colour and length of the coloured bars communicate the level of detected metal and how this level compares to a similar animal population sample average.
This page contains many of the live features available within your animal's results. We have chosen to show results online (de-identified of course) because this dynamic platform allows for a much richer and helpful experience along with the ability to receive relevant updates as they become available. We notify you via email and/or text message. You can also see and compare your results with others.
A beige coloured bar indicates that the level of metal detected in your sample is close to the sample population average or at least lower than four times the population average. If however your result is greater than four times our sample population average, the bar turns red. Additionally, a warning message is shown underneath if your result is greater than twice our sample population average.
RESULTS ARE "LIVE"
The examples shown below are “live” – they are currently real de-identified individual human results (animal examples will be here soon). If you change your browser window size the results will adjust accordingly. The results also show the actual level expressed as mg of metal per kg of animal hair (or ppm – parts per million) and a population average relevant to your Dog, Cat, Horse etc.
If the Lab can’t detect a particular metal in your sample – like Arsenic below – then this is indicated as below the Limit of Detection (LOD). If, on the other hand your metal level result is so high it goes beyond our full bar length – like Cadmium below – then we indicate this with a red warning sign below the visualisation along with a quantitative multiple of your result above the population average.
MOST IMPORTANTLY
There are links within your results (the metal name in blue) that take you to important additional information about exposure routes and health effects. It is mostly for humans, however we will be adding additional animal species-specific (Dog, Cat, Horse etc.) exposure and health information over the coming weeks. Those of you that have already received your animals results will be notified via email and/or text when updates are available for your animal.
"We want to see some results."
Hair Testing finally comes to Australia
This changed in 2015.
Graham Lancaster, managing director at Environmental Analysis Laboratories in Lismore, Australia, acquired the equipment and expertise and in 2015 partnered with Toxtest owner, Hartmut Günther, to deliver a world class and indeed a world first publicly affordable ICP-MS analysis of Human and Animal Hair along with innovative result visualisation that is now influencing people's health for the better.
Animals and Pets are Sentinels for toxic Heavy Metal Exposures in Humans: Efficacy of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HMA or HTMA)
Toxicity from heavy metals disrupts and alters important activity at the cellular level by interfering with membrane integrity, enzyme function, impaired DNA repair mechanisms, messaging and hormone function; this in-turn can translate to a myriad of conditions like elevated blood pressure, fatigue, impaired cognition, developmental delays and latter life chronic illness.
Off course there are many potentially toxic substances we can be exposed to. And we test for many of them in our Soil and Water Tests. However, heavy metals are becoming more pervasive in our environments and they can persist.
Examples of how historic contaminations can affect our pets, farm animals and wild animals: Lead is prevalent in higher than background levels in the soil around many suburban homes in our capital cities due to legacy leaded petrol and paint; Around 2/3 of the Mercury in our oceans comes from burning coal in last few hundred years (coal smoke contains Mercury, Uranium and many other toxic substances) ; Arsenic and Antimony residual contamination is often associated with legacy Gold Mining areas in Australia.
And the World Health Organisation (WHO) list Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium and Mercury in the top ten of the most important substances of concern to human health and the environment.
Evidence indicates that hair analysis is well suited to identify even low dose exposure to metals, heavy metals and minerals.
Any toxic metal may be called a heavy metal, irrespective of its' atomic mass or density, although generally, heavy metals have densities above 5g/cm3 and as part of Earth's Elements, they cannot be degraded or destroyed.
Fifty three of the ninety naturally occurring Earth's Elements are heavy metals and those of highest concern to human, animal and environmental health include arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, mercury, manganese, nickel, lead, tin, and thallium.
Metal "heaviness" and toxicity are often inter-related with heavy metals & metalloids like arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead able to induce toxicity even at low levels of exposure, accentuated by the fact that heavy metals persist in all parts of the environment - Water, Soil and indeed, Bone.
Ref: Environmental Pollution by Heavy Metal: An Overview, 2019
Antimony (Sb), Silver (Ag), Arsenic (As), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Selenium (Se), Zinc (Zn), Mercury (Hg), Iron (Fe), Aluminium (Al), Lithium (Li), Beryllium (Be), Boron (B), Vanadium (V), Cobalt (Co), Strontium (Sr), Molybdenum (Mo), Barium (Ba), Thallium (TL), Bismuth (Bi), Thorium (Th), Uranium (U), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Sulphur (S), Phosphorus (P)
All sample collection details, payment, Laboratory address and phone numbers are on the order form that can be downloaded here. You need to send in the form with your sample hair.
Additional elements can also be ordered on the form if needed. These include: Gadolinium, Titanium, Gold, Tin, Palladium, Caesium, Platinum, Cerium, Dysprosium, Erbium, Europium, Holmium, Lanthanum, Lutetium, Neodymium, Praseodymium, Samarium, Scandium, Terbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, and Yttrium.
Toxtest and Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL), a NATA certified laboratory (Number:14960) and division of Southern Cross University in Lismore, NSW, Australia, collaborate to provide affordable Hair, Water, Soil and Dust testing for the public. Result presentation is visually rich, informative and prioritises human health. The A Human Hair Test analyses 32 heavy metals & minerals. Our sister site, Toxno, provides extensive exposure route and health effects information for all chemicals tested.
Graham Lancaster
EAL Managing Director
Hartmut Günther
Toxtest Owner
Support Details
Toxtest Owner: Hartmut Michael Günther
Support from OS: (+61) 4 39 54 7788
Support in OZ: 0439 54 7788
Business Name: Toxtest
Australia ABN: 58 845 464 564
Address: Upper Burnie, Tasmania and Burleigh Heads, QLD,
Australia
FAX: (61) 2 6526 2123
Human Hair Test Page
Toxtest Universe
We have life-saving information from over 25,000 substances and their common Exposure Routes
Large pink salt lake Western Australia - abstract impression
Animal Hair Analysis Results
See what results look like
WHAT TO DO ABOUT YOUR PET'S RESULTS
First, no need to embark on elaborate detoxification procedures just because results contain red bars. But you do need to make a good attempt at identifying possible exposure pathways of those elements with red bars. Exposures containing heavy metals can include food, water, soil or other aspects of your animals environment. We spend significant time researching and updating heavy metal exposure pathways and resultant health effects for humans and some of these are also relevant to animals. Take advantage of these, take your time and read carefully, especially if your results contain metals with long red bars.
Exposure to a heavy metal may have been happening for many months - even at low doses. Elucidation of possible exposure routes can be further enhanced by follow-up testing as indicated. (Water, Dust, Soil)
Note that young children under 5 years of age can spend significant amounts of time in similar environments as your pet cat or dog. High results for your pet could indicate similar exposures for young children. Hair testing is non-intrusive.
Second, red bars do not mean that exposure to this compound at this point in time is causing symptoms or even harm to your animals. However, longer red bars are indicative of higher exposure concentrations or frequencies and as such may increase the risk of adverse health effects in the long term, particular if the element has known adverse effects via toxicology studies.
The strategy then is to identify the source of any unwanted exposures, do the best to minimise further exposure, retest in the future and give your animal the highest quality diet possible, good clean water and help them avoid experiencing long term unnecessary stress like being left alone for long periods or getting to hot or cold or being bullied by other animals.
Human Hair Analysis Results
See what Human results look like
Have a Question?
The exposure and health information in these separate reports within each animal hair analysis result, is at this stage, mostly relevant to Humans. However, for animals that share environments with humans, especially pets, exposures are often shared between human and animal.
.SVG){kind=link}