Blood reference values for metals in a general adult population in southern Brazil

•We determined Reference Values (RVs) for blood As, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, Mg, Hg, Mo, Se and Zn in an urban population.•This is a cross-sectional population-based study.•RVs were calculated as the upper limits of the 95% CIs at the 95th percentile of the measured distributions.•We detected high correlation between blood Cu and blood Zn levels (ρ=0.68).•Diet, smoking habits, place of residence, gender, and the period in which the study was performed, may contribute to RVs.