How every number on this page is set
No government sets a heavy-metal content limit for this class. Peptides, SARMs, and research chemicals are sold outside any drug-approval or dietary-supplement framework, so the sovereign maximum-level lookup that anchors every other HMTc standard returns nothing here. HMTc does not answer that gap by inventing a number. Every analyte on the panel is placed under mandatory control — measured on every lot by validated ICP-MS with reflex inorganic-arsenic speciation — and escalated against route-appropriate toxicological anchors (ICH Q3D / USP <232> permitted daily exposures), which flag a lot for investigation and are never used as a product-content ceiling.
Certification here is heavy-metal safety only. HMTc does not endorse, approve, or vouch for the efficacy or the legality of these products; the mark speaks solely to the absence of a detectable heavy-metal burden on the tested lot. Where the chemistry rules an analyte out of the matrix entirely, it is recorded as a substantiated not-material determination rather than a control.
Master Limit Table
All values in ppb (µg/kg), as-sold basis. 0 of 11 analytes carry a firm ceiling; the remainder are governed by mandatory control or reflex-speciation screening with no standalone number, itemised in the derivation below. A brand meeting every firm value on a like-for-like basis, and passing every control, qualifies for the mark.
| Analyte | Tier | HMTc limit | Binding basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Total arsenic (tAs) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Inorganic arsenic (iAs) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Mercury, total (tHg) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Methylmercury (MeHg) | Tier 1 | n/m | not material — controlled analyte (see note) |
| Nickel (Ni) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Tin (Sn) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Aluminium (Al) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Total chromium (Cr) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
Tier 1 (Pb, iAs, Hg, MeHg, Cd) are zero-tolerance toxics with no established safe threshold. Tier 2 (tAs, Ni, Sn, Al, Cr, Cr-VI) carry a 150% transitional allowance under the program’s Status A–E framework.
Derivation — mandatory control, no sovereign limit
No government sets a heavy-metal content limit for Nasal/sublingual/troche gray-market peptide preparations (mucosal route). Every analyte on the panel is held under mandatory control — measured on every lot and escalated against route-appropriate toxicological anchors — or, where the chemistry rules it out of the matrix, recorded as a substantiated not-material determination. No number is invented.
| Analyte | HMTc | Binding | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Cadmium (Cd) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Total arsenic (tAs) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Inorganic arsenic (iAs) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Mercury, total (tHg) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Methylmercury (MeHg) | n/m | ≤ tHg | not material in this matrix |
| Nickel (Ni) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Tin (Sn) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Aluminium (Al) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Total chromium (Cr) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) | control | screened every lot | mandatory control — no government ML |
Cite this standard
Pendergrass, K. “Nasal/sublingual/troche gray-market peptide preparations (mucosal route).” In Heavy Metal Tested & Certified (HMTc) Peptides, SARMs, and Research Chemicals standard, version 1.0. Institute of Contaminant Standards (ICS), 2026. DOI: registration pending.
The literature baseline for every analyte is maintained independently at the Heavy Metal Index. This certification standard applies those findings; the two are kept editorially separate by design.