Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Copper & Chromium Immunoassay Antibodies for Rapid Environmental Contaminant Screening
Heavy metal antibodies are monoclonal antibodies used in immunoassay-based screening for elemental contaminants such as cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, and chromium. They work fundamentally differently from small-molecule drug residue or hormone antibodies: a bare metal ion has no distinct molecular structure for an antibody to recognize, so the antibody is instead raised against a metal-chelate-protein conjugate — the metal ion bound to a chelating agent such as EDTA or DTPA, which is then conjugated to a carrier protein like BSA to form the immunizing hapten. The resulting antibody recognizes the metal-chelate complex, and the same competitive inhibition immunoassay format used for small-molecule residues applies: free metal-chelate in the prepared sample competes with a metal-chelate-protein conjugate for antibody binding, so higher metal concentration produces a weaker signal.
Heavy metals are environmental contaminants that accumulate in food crops, water, and seafood through industrial pollution, contaminated irrigation water, and soil uptake. Unlike organic residues such as antibiotics, pesticides, or hormones — which can be metabolized, degraded, or broken down — heavy metals are elemental and cannot be "metabolized away," making them persistent, bioaccumulative risks. Cadmium and lead in particular are well-documented human neurotoxins and nephrotoxins even at low chronic exposure levels, which is why ongoing environmental and food-chain monitoring is standard practice rather than a one-time compliance check. Traditional heavy-metal testing relies on instrumental methods such as ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and AAS (atomic absorption spectroscopy), which are accurate but slow, expensive, and lab-bound. Antibody-based immunoassay screening offers a faster, field-deployable, lower-cost first-pass screening alternative for high-throughput sample triage ahead of confirmatory instrumental testing.
Sekbio's heavy metal antibody panel covers five elemental contaminants of established food and environmental safety significance: Cadmium/Cd (IC50 1 ppb, colloidal-gold sensitivity 5–20 ppb, explicitly validated for water, grain, and fruit/vegetable matrices); Lead/Pb (IC50 5 ppb); Mercury/Hg (IC50 5 ppb); Copper/Cu (IC50 5 ppb); and Chromium/Cr³⁺, tested in its trivalent form (IC50 10 ppb). Each target is raised against a metal-chelate-BSA conjugate and supplied as a matched monoclonal antibody and conjugate pair, reference priced at $895.52 per mg.
Five elemental contaminant targets covering the heavy metals most frequently monitored in food, water, and environmental safety programs.
| Target | Hapten Type | IC50 | LFA Sensitivity | Validated Matrices | Price (mAb or Conjugate, 1mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium (Cd) | Cd-Chelate-BSA | 1 ppb | 5–20 ppb | Water, Grain, Fruit/Vegetable | $895.52/mg |
| Lead (Pb) | Pb-Chelate-BSA | 5 ppb | Contact us | Contact us | $895.52/mg |
| Mercury (Hg) | Hg-Chelate-BSA | 5 ppb | Contact us | Contact us | $895.52/mg |
| Copper (Cu) | Cu-Chelate-BSA | 5 ppb | Contact us | Contact us | $895.52/mg |
| Chromium (Cr³⁺) | Cr-Chelate-BSA | 10 ppb | Contact us | Contact us | $895.52/mg |
IC50 and sensitivity values from COA release testing in competitive ELISA format. All antibodies are raised against the corresponding metal-chelate-BSA conjugate rather than the free metal ion. Prices are reference list prices per 1 mg of monoclonal antibody or metal-chelate-BSA conjugate; OEM bulk-scale pricing for 10 mg to gram quantities is quoted on request. Contact info@sekbio.com for full performance data for all targets, sample matrix compatibility, and OEM supply pricing.
Field-deployable immunoassay screening for elemental contaminants that persist and bioaccumulate across the food and water supply chain.
Sekbio's cadmium (Cd) monoclonal antibody achieves the lowest IC50 in this panel at 1 ppb, with colloidal-gold LFA sensitivity of 5–20 ppb. It is explicitly validated for water, grain, and fruit/vegetable matrices — directly relevant to cadmium's well-known status as a rice and grain contamination issue in parts of Asia, where cadmium uptake from contaminated soil and irrigation water into rice crops is a recognized food safety concern requiring ongoing surveillance.
Lead (Pb) is a well-documented human neurotoxin with no established safe exposure threshold, making low-level detection capability important for both food and water screening programs. Sekbio's lead antibody (IC50 5 ppb), raised against a Pb-chelate-BSA conjugate, supports competitive ELISA and LFA screening for lead contamination in produce, grain, and drinking or irrigation water.
Mercury bioaccumulates through the aquatic food chain, concentrating in fish and shellfish tissue at levels that can significantly exceed surrounding water concentrations. Sekbio's mercury (Hg) antibody (IC50 5 ppb) enables rapid immunoassay screening of seafood and shellfish samples, offering a field-deployable alternative to lab-bound AAS or ICP-MS testing for high-throughput sample triage.
Copper contamination in food and water commonly originates from industrial discharge, agricultural fungicide use, and plumbing corrosion. Sekbio's copper (Cu) antibody (IC50 5 ppb) supports screening of produce and water samples near industrial or agricultural sources where copper accumulation is a recognized environmental contamination pathway.
Sekbio's chromium antibody is raised against the trivalent (Cr³⁺) form of chromium (IC50 10 ppb), the form most relevant to environmental and dietary exposure assessment. Chromium contamination typically enters the food and water supply through industrial tanning, plating, and manufacturing discharge, making chromium screening a relevant addition to comprehensive heavy metal monitoring panels for water and produce grown near industrial sites.
All five antibodies in this panel are raised against a metal-chelate-protein conjugate — the metal ion bound to a chelating agent such as EDTA or DTPA, then conjugated to a carrier protein — rather than the free metal ion itself, since a bare ion presents no distinct structure for antibody recognition. This chelate-hapten strategy is the foundational technique that makes heavy metal immunoassay possible at all, distinguishing it from the direct small-molecule hapten approach used for antibiotic, hormone, and pesticide residue antibodies.
Instrumental methods like ICP-MS and AAS remain the accurate confirmatory standard for heavy metal quantification, but they are slow, expensive, and require lab-based instrumentation. Sekbio's heavy metal antibodies support competitive ELISA and LFA formats that enable high-throughput, lower-cost first-pass screening in the field or at the point of sample collection, reserving instrumental confirmation for samples flagged as suspect.
MOQ 1 mg per antibody for R&D evaluation. OEM quantities from 10 mg to gram scale are available for environmental and food safety kit manufacturing. Sekbio's ISO 13485-certified Shenzhen facility provides quality-assured heavy metal antibody production with lot COA documentation. Contact our team or explore our full antibody catalog for multi-target food and environmental safety panel development, including complementary Mycotoxin Antibodies and Pesticide Residue Antibodies.
Field-deployable competitive immunoassay antibodies for elemental contaminant screening in grain, water, produce, and seafood.
Cadmium contamination in rice is a well-known food safety issue in parts of Asia, arising from cadmium uptake through contaminated soil and irrigation water into rice crops. Sekbio's cadmium antibody, explicitly validated for grain matrices with IC50 of 1 ppb, supports rapid ELISA and LFA screening programs for rice and grain producers, processors, and importers monitoring cadmium contamination levels.
Heavy metal contamination of drinking and irrigation water is a primary pathway by which cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, and chromium enter the food supply chain. Sekbio's heavy metal antibody panel — validated for water matrices in the case of cadmium and applicable across the panel for water quality screening — supports field-deployable testing programs for water utilities, agricultural operations, and environmental monitoring agencies.
Produce grown near industrial sites is at elevated risk of heavy metal accumulation from soil and water contamination, including cadmium, lead, copper, and chromium from industrial discharge and manufacturing activity. Sekbio's fruit/vegetable-validated cadmium antibody, along with the lead, copper, and chromium antibodies in this panel, supports screening programs for produce grown in or sourced from industrial-adjacent agricultural regions.
Mercury and cadmium bioaccumulate in marine life through the aquatic food chain, concentrating in fish and shellfish tissue at levels that can substantially exceed surrounding water concentrations. Sekbio's mercury and cadmium antibodies support rapid immunoassay screening of seafood and shellfish samples, providing a faster, field-deployable alternative to lab-bound instrumental testing for high-throughput sample triage in seafood safety programs.
Technical and commercial questions from food and environmental safety IVD developers building heavy metal contaminant screening assays.
Heavy metal antibodies are monoclonal antibodies used in immunoassay-based screening for elemental contaminants such as cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, and chromium. They work differently from small-molecule drug residue antibodies: because a bare metal ion has no distinct molecular structure for an antibody to recognize, the antibody is instead raised against a metal-chelate-protein conjugate — the metal ion bound to a chelating agent such as EDTA or DTPA, which is then conjugated to a carrier protein like BSA. The resulting antibody recognizes the metal-chelate complex, and competitive immunoassay formats (ELISA or LFA) are used in the same way as for small-molecule residues: free metal-chelate in the sample competes with the metal-chelate-protein conjugate for antibody binding.
Instrumental methods such as ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and AAS (atomic absorption spectroscopy) are the gold-standard confirmatory techniques for heavy metal quantification, but they are accurate, slow, expensive, and require lab-based instrumentation and trained operators. Antibody-based immunoassay screening — using metal-chelator-protein conjugates as haptens — offers a faster, field-deployable, lower-cost first-pass screening alternative that allows high-throughput sample triage, flagging suspect samples for confirmatory ICP-MS/AAS testing rather than sending every sample through the slower instrumental pipeline.
Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium are elemental contaminants — unlike organic residues (antibiotics, pesticides, hormones), they cannot be metabolized, degraded, or broken down by biological or environmental processes. This makes them persistent and bioaccumulative: cadmium and lead in particular are well-documented human neurotoxins and nephrotoxins even at low chronic exposure levels, accumulating in food crops, water, and seafood through industrial pollution, contaminated irrigation water, and soil uptake. Because the contamination pathway is environmental rather than a controllable veterinary or agricultural input, heavy metal monitoring is an ongoing surveillance need rather than a compliance check against a single banned substance.
Sekbio's cadmium (Cd) monoclonal antibody, raised against a cadmium-chelate-BSA conjugate, achieves IC50 of 1 ppb — the lowest IC50 in this heavy metal panel — with colloidal-gold LFA sensitivity of 5–20 ppb. It is explicitly validated for water, grain, and fruit/vegetable matrices, reflecting cadmium's well-known relevance as a rice and grain contamination issue in parts of Asia, where cadmium uptake from contaminated soil and irrigation water into rice crops is a recognized food safety concern.
Sekbio's heavy metal antibodies are used across four primary sample types: Rice and grain, reflecting cadmium's well-documented rice contamination profile in parts of Asia; Drinking and irrigation water, for environmental and agricultural water quality screening; Fruits and vegetables grown near industrial sites, where soil and water contamination can transfer metals into crops; and Seafood and shellfish, reflecting mercury and cadmium bioaccumulation in marine life through the aquatic food chain. Contact info@sekbio.com for matrix-specific extraction protocols and cross-reactivity data.
Reference pricing is $895.52 per mg across all five heavy metal targets — cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, and chromium — covering either the monoclonal antibody or its matching metal-chelate-BSA conjugate (1 mg each). MOQ is 1 mg per reagent for R&D evaluation and assay development; OEM bulk-scale pricing for 10 mg to gram quantities is quoted on request. Contact info@sekbio.com for a formal quotation and current lead times.
Cadmium has the lowest (most sensitive) IC50 in the panel at 1 ppb. Lead, mercury, and copper share an IC50 of 5 ppb. Chromium, tested in its trivalent (Cr3+) form, has the highest IC50 at 10 ppb. All five antibodies are raised against the respective metal-chelate-BSA conjugate rather than the free metal ion, following the same chelate-hapten immunization strategy across the panel.
For related food safety contaminant targets, see Sekbio's Mycotoxin Antibodies, Pesticide Residue Antibodies, and Antibiotic Residue Antibodies product pages.
Request heavy metal antibody evaluation kits, metal-chelate conjugates, or discuss OEM environmental and food safety ELISA and LFA kit development support.