Citation:

Battelle. AN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION (ETV) OF EIGHT RAPID TOXICITY TESTING SYSTEMS: STRATEGIC DIAGNOSTICS INC'S DELTATOX (R) AND MICTOTOX (R), SEVERN TRENT SERVICES ECLOX, HACH COMPANY TOXTRAK INTERLAB SUPPLY, LTD. POLYTOX (TM), CHECKLLIGHT, LTD TOXSCREEN, AQUA SURVEY, INC. IQ TOXICITY TEST (TM), HIDEX OY BIOTOX (TM).

Impact/Purpose:

The overall objective of the ETV Program is to accelerate the entrance of new environmental technologies into the domestic and international marketplace by identifying the environmental performance characteristics of commercial-ready technology through the evaluation of objective and quality assured data. This provides the potential purchasers and permitters with an independent and credible assessment of what they are buying and/or permitting. The AMS Center has received funding to performance verify monitoring technologies relevant for homeland security.

Description:

The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program, beginning as an initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1995, verifies the performance of commercially available, innovative technologies that can be used to measure environmental quality. The ETV provides, through a third-party, quality-assured performance data so buyers and users of environmental technologies can make informed purchase and application decisions, thus providing one path to reducing emissions and improving human health. To provide cost-effective testing, Stakeholder committees, made up of members with diverse backgrounds, provide guidance to the ETV by identifying and prioritizing environmental technologies to address present day environmental quality challenges.

The ETV Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center, one of six ETV Centers, is actively involved in verifying the performance of advanced monitoring systems available to the public for purchase. The AMS Center participates in the mission of the ETV by providing Test Plans, Protocols, conducting independent performance tests of technologies, and preparing Verification Reports and Statements describing the results of the testing. Vendors of tested technologies can use the Verification Reports for marketing purposes. All approved Verification Reports are posted on the ETV Web Site as a form of distribution. The individual verification reports and statements describe by this abstract are Strategic Diagnostics Inc's. Deltatox (R) and Microtox (R), Severn Trent Services Eclox, Hach Company ToxTrak (TM), InterLab Supply, Ltd. PolyTox (TM), CheckLight, Ltd. ToxScreen, Aqua Survey, Inc. IQ Toxicity Test (TM), Hidex Oy BioTox (TM).

Rapid toxicity technologies do not identify or determine the concentration of specific contaminants, but serve as a screening tool to quickly determine whether the water sampled is potentially toxic. Rapid toxicity technologies use bacteria (e.g., Vibrio fischeri), enzymes (e.g.,luciferase), or small crustaceans (e.g., Daphnia magna) that either directly, or in combination with reagents, produce a background level of light or consume dissolved oxygen at a steady rate in the absence of toxic contaminants. Rapid toxicity testing systems produce a background level of light in the absence of toxic contaminants. Toxic contaminants in water are indicated by a change in the color or intensity of light produced or by a decrease in the dissolved oxygen uptake rate in the presence of the contaminants. As part of this verification test, various contaminants are added to separate drinking water samples and analyzed by each of the tested technologies. The residual chlorine is first removed from the water samples before addition of contaminants because the disinfection process can interfere with analysis. A target list of representative contaminants were from the areas of: industrial chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, nerve agents and biotoxins at several water sources. There were seven interfering agents tested. Response to interfering compounds in clean drinking water also was evaluated. Dechlorinated drinking water samples (DDW) were fortified with contaminants at concentrations ranging from lethal levels to levels 10,000 times less than the lethal dose and analyzed. For analysis of by-products of the disinfection process (chlorination or chloramination), unspiked DDW were analyzed. Endpoint and precision, toxicity threshold for each contaminant, false positive/negative responses, ease of use, and sample throughput were evaluated.

Quality control samples included method blank samples, which consisted of American Society for Testing and Materials Type II deionized water; positive control samples, which were provided by the vendor; and negative control samples, which consisted of the unspiked DDW. QA oversight of verification testing was provided by Battelle and EPA.

ETV verifications are based on an evaluation of technology performance under specific predetermined criteria and the appropriate quality assurance procedures. The EPA and Battelle make no expressed or implied warranties as to the performance of the technology and do not certify that a technology will always operate as verified. The end user is solely responsible for complying with any and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements. Mention of commercial products does not imply endorsement.

Record Details: