Barium, Urine

This checks for Barium levels. Barium can cause vomiting, abdominal cramps, muscle weakness, diarrhea, high or low blood pressure and breathing issues.

Barium is silvery-white earth metal. It could be found in nature in many forms. Certain amounts of barium are found in the air, especially in big cities or areas around factories. It could also be found in drinking water (barium-chloride, barium-nitrate, barium-hydroxide) and food, but that amount is not high enough to be a health concern. A high risk of exposure correlates directly with barium intoxication. People with greatest risk are those who work at factories where they breathe the air that contains barium-sulphate and barium-carbonate. Barium can also enter human body by eating contaminated food or drinking water with high amount of barium. A small amount can also be brought in through skin. The main symptoms of intoxication are muscle weakness and tremor, difficulty in breathing, stomach irritations accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, anxiety, cardiac irregularities such as abnormally high blood pressure and rapid heartbeat, paralysis (or even quadriplegia). Human body eliminates barium through urinary and gastrointestinal system. The assessment of barium exposure can be accomplished through measurement of barium in urine, but reference ranges have not been set yet, which is why this test is used only for identification of exposure.

This test is performed in following conditions such as:

• Work on a setting where barium is present
• Live in the area suspected of having higher barium levels than normal in the environment
• Have unexplained lowered potassium level

Also Known As: Ba