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Will Clorox Cleanser Applied On Skin Earlier Affect A Blood Test?
Question: I had blood tests done, there was clorox cleaner/bleach on my arm from earlier, will this affect anything on the test
Brief Answer:
Considerations
Detailed Answer:
Hello & thank you for submitting your question. Your question is a very good one. As you suspect, clinical chemistry and other results of peripheral blood analysis can be affected by various factors when obtained through venipuncture (blood draw from the arm). Proper blood draw procedure should include cleaning the site with an alcohol swab and allowing the area to dry before puncture with the needle. If the site is noticeably wet/saturated in a chemical, such as bleach or even topical cleansers or lotion, this may have the potential to affect laboratory results particularly for metabolic analytes. It is unlikely that the presence of the cleaner will affect your test results if proper blood draw procedure was followed and your skin was not exposed to the cleaner for an excessively prolonged time or volume/amount of cleaner. If you feel your exposure was significant, then you should inform your physician and also have the area examined for chemical exposure. I hope this was helpful.
Yours in good health,
Dr Galamaga
Considerations
Detailed Answer:
Hello & thank you for submitting your question. Your question is a very good one. As you suspect, clinical chemistry and other results of peripheral blood analysis can be affected by various factors when obtained through venipuncture (blood draw from the arm). Proper blood draw procedure should include cleaning the site with an alcohol swab and allowing the area to dry before puncture with the needle. If the site is noticeably wet/saturated in a chemical, such as bleach or even topical cleansers or lotion, this may have the potential to affect laboratory results particularly for metabolic analytes. It is unlikely that the presence of the cleaner will affect your test results if proper blood draw procedure was followed and your skin was not exposed to the cleaner for an excessively prolonged time or volume/amount of cleaner. If you feel your exposure was significant, then you should inform your physician and also have the area examined for chemical exposure. I hope this was helpful.
Yours in good health,
Dr Galamaga
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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