[A new medical concept: the metallic profile].

Over the past decade great progress has been made in metals and metalloids analysis. This analysis is a basic stage in toxicity assessment and is indispensable in achieving a realistic evaluation of substance toxicity. A recently introduced technique, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is progressively replacing atomic absorption. This analysis permits multi-elementary determinations, approximately 30 elements, with an optimal gain in sensitivity in many biological matrices: i.e. whole blood, plasma, urine, hair, nail, biopsy samples. Moreover, this method allows semiquantitative determination with an additional 30 supplementary elements, which enables the toxicologist to sufficiently estimate the toxic levels and metal exposure. The authors demonstrate that the ICP-MS could be very useful for a wide range of clinical applications. Furthermore, this procedure offers new exploration possibilities in various fields such as clinical toxicology, forensic toxicology as well as work place testing or environmental exposure and permits epidemiologic studies. This analytical method in fact also provides a new scientific approach. To our knowledge we are the first to propose: the metallic profile.