Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Mobile Analytical Platform for Lead Detection in Drinking Water
EPA Contract Number: 68HERD19C0003Title: Mobile Analytical Platform for Lead Detection in Drinking Water
Investigators: Hill, William C
Small Business: NanoSafe, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: II
Project Period: December 1, 2018 through November 30, 2020 (Extended to July 31, 2021)
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase II (2018) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Drinking Water and Detection of Lead Service Lines
Description:
The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan reminds us that lead remains a dangerous and insidious toxicant that can impact public health for months or years before it is detected and remedied. Increasing awareness of lead contamination has motivated the general public to test their own drinking water, but few tools are available to help these "citizen scientists" do so in an effective manner. Current lead screening products are inaccurate, test only small volumes of water, and cannot detect the particulate lead that is often most problematic.
In this project, NanoSafe demonstrated an accurate and inexpensive water testing platform that can detect both soluble and insoluble lead compounds in a statistically relevant volume of water while avoiding interference by other common minerals and water chemistries. Efforts were also dedicated toward the effective integration of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom 3D-printed components to produce deployable prototypes to assess the technical competence of the invention and improving usability among a broad, largely non-technical intended customer base.
A mobile application was developed which enhances the user experience (including automated reading of lead testing results, video instructions, and suggested remedial actions in the case of elevated lead) and provides novel capabilities to agglomerate and map user-submitted data to develop a real-time "heat map" of elevated lead across the nation to aid in identifying areas of strongest need locally, regionally, and nationally. Planned enhancements beyond the Phase II effort will partner with municipalities, schools, and daycares to increase auditable datalogging capabilities in preparation for screening testing to be required by the updated Lead and Copper Rule.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The R&D effort satisfied and surpassed its initial objectives; the developed lead testing kit, NanoSafe's Lead Mobile Analytical Platform (LeadMAP), uses a water-safe colorimetric chemistry to visually represent the presence and concentration of lead in the tested water. Detection of lead at and below the EPA Action Level of 15 ppb was targeted; detection of lead at concentrations of less than 5 ppb was achieved (some versions demonstrated detection limits of ~2 ppb) and sensitivity was verified for eleven of the most common leaded compounds encountered in rural and municipal water systems, including both dissolved and particulate lead. Refinements to the operating mechanisms of the kit over the course of the project decreased complexity and improved usability of the kit while also reducing cost; the materials cost in the final Phase II prototype is less than $1 per test.
Verification of tested water lead concentrations was conducted via the standard method, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), by an independent cost center located at Virginia Tech. All water tested and reported over the duration of the project was verified by this method, with stock solutions/dispersions re-tested at intervals to validate/calibrate lead concentration.
Conclusions:
The LeadMAP was demonstrated to be an imminently feasible commercial solution to the need for rapid, accurate, fieldable, and low-cost detection of total lead in drinking water. Detection capabilities are well below regulatory limits, and all common lead compounds from a variety of natural and man-made sources, whether soluble or insoluble in water, are indicated. A minimum viable product (MVP) is producible, with orders for sale already in place, demonstrating commercial viability.
The LeadMAP kit is designed to facilitate testing by three distinct market sectors:
1. General Public: The initial focus of R&D was to enable everyday people to test their water for lead. Key parameters included accuracy, ease of use, and intuitive aesthetic appeal.
2. Schools/Daycares: A secondary market developed as updates to the Lead and Copper Rule were announced in December 2020. An accurate, affordable, real-time test such as the LeadMAP may hold significant appeal for schools and childcare centers who will soon need to perform routine screening.
3. Municipalities: Regulatory requirements dictate laboratory analysis (ICP-MS) for annual lead testing and reporting in municipal systems, but routine screening testing and targeted testing during and after lead service line replacements are ideal applications for the LeadMAP in municipal settings.
Fulfillment of orders is currently facilitated by in-house construction of kits using COTS components and internal production of 3D printed custom components and synthesis of test chemicals. As demand is drastically larger than current production capabilities can support, partnership with an established manufacturing and distribution entity is desired
SBIR Phase I:
Mobile Analytical Platform for Lead Detection in Drinking Water | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.