A Comparison of Various Chelating Agents in the Diagnosis of Chronic Metal Exposure- An Update

E. Blaurock-Busch^1, and Yvette M. Busch²

¹Research director at Micro Trace Minerals Laboratory, Hersbruck, Germany

²CEO at Micro Trace Minerals Laboratory, Hersbruck, Germany

Cite this paper:
E. Blaurock-Busch and Yvette M. Busch. A Comparison of Various Chelating Agents in the Diagnosis of Chronic Metal Exposure- An Update. Journal of Environment Pollution and Human Health. 2026; 14(2):34-39. doi: 10.12691/jephh-14-2-1

Abstract

When selecting a chelating agent for treatment purposes, making an informed choice is critical and the question frequently asked is: which chelating agent is best? We thus evaluated and compared the binding ability of DMPS, DMSA, EDTA, Na-thiosulfate, Alpha-Lipoic Acid. Our aim was to identify which of the chelators would be most useful for the chelation treatment of which metal. While our previous study indicated that for single or multiple metal exposures, the intravenous application of DMPS seemed best suited as a provocation test, this follow-up study demonstrates that other chelating agents may be equally or more suitable. Our data also demonstrates that oral application can be an alternative to the use of intravenous chelation.

Keywords:
DMPS DMSA EDTA Sodium-Thiosulfate Lipoic Acid Chronic Metal Intoxication Chelation Urine provocation Metal Intoxication

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