Pitfalls of serum aluminium testing

This report is based on a case of a retired painter erroneously diagnosed with elevated serum aluminium levels. It highlights the problematic nature of serum aluminium testing, particularly when undertaken without convincing clinical support for excessive aluminium exposure. Here, we report on a retired painter, living near an automotive manufacturing plant, found to have elevated serum aluminium levels as part of comprehensive investigations for neuropsychiatric symptoms. His case coincided with a cluster of referrals to local toxicologists for elevated aluminium levels. Further investigations revealed a flaw in the laboratory testing protocol as the source of falsely elevated results. This case highlights the problematic nature of serum aluminium testing, particularly when undertaken without a convincing clinical correlation for toxicity.