Units for Blood Lead Measurement

Units for blood lead can be confusing. Most clinical laboratories in the UK report results in µmol/l to be consistent with the reporting of all other clinical measurements in mol/L units. However, the legislation for lead exposure is still based on a blood lead measurement in a now archaic unit, µg/100 mL. The unit of volume for either mass (e.g. µg) or molar (e.g. µmol) unit standards is now the litre (L) and logically a system set to 100 mL as volume should have no place in modern science.

Please note that the units µg/100 mL are also referred to as:

• µg/dL where dL = decilitre
• mcg/100 mL.

Conversion of Units for Blood Lead

To convert a result from one set of units to another, enter the result in the appropriate box and click on Convert. Reset clears all values from the boxes.