Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: A Simple Lead Test for Drinking Water Safety
EPA Contract Number: EPD17041Title: A Simple Lead Test for Drinking Water Safety
Investigators: Carter, Michael T.
Small Business: KWJ Engineering, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018
Project Amount: $99,965
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2017) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Water
Description:
The overall goal of this Phase I program is to develop a simple, visually based tool for determining lead (II) ion (Pb2+) in drinking water. The recent drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan highlights the need for modern, yet simple and low cost methods that untrained consumers can use to protect their health. The health threat of lead in drinking has been an on-going problem nationally for many years and is growing more serious as outdated water delivery infrastructure ages and deteriorates. Home do-it-yourself tests for lead in drinking water are available commercially, but are of unverified reliability and can be expensive. Others often require sending samples out to a lab for analysis. There is a need for a simple, inexpensive test for home evaluation of lead levels in drinking water.
We aim to develop an analytically accurate and precise, yet extremely simple device with visual indication of water safety relative to lead. This approach will use a simple plastic strip and extremely inexpensive reader to provide a visual report of lead level and drinking water safety (i.e., above or below the EPA action level, 15 ppb) in a person’s drinking water. The test will conform to the EPA specified requirements: visual result in less than 30 sec, cost less than $2/test, 5 year shelf life, accuracy ±0.5 ppb Pb(II) at 15 ppb Pb(II).
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The Phase I program consisted of two goals. The first was to investigate the feasibility of adapting our current printed amperometric gas sensor fabrication methods to fabrication of a disposable chip for analysis of lead ion in drinking water. The second aim was to demonstrate feasibility for an electroanalytical method that would be capable of sub-ppb resolution of Pb(II) concentrations at the EPA action level, 15 ppb.
In-house fabricated analysis strips, based on our current printed amperometric gas sensor designs, had stability issues and rendered inferior electroanalytical results In Phase II, new approaches to in-house fabrication methods will be devised and validated for fabrication of low cost test strips for Pb(II) analysis in drinking water.
We successfully demonstrated a simple and sensitive electroanalytical determination of Pb, using a commercially available printed electrochemical device. The methods was successfully validated against a standard, accepted commercial lead in water test (Hach LeadTrak). We showed how the voltammetric parameters could be manipulated to optimize the detection performance. The method developed in Phase I showed detection limits of ± 1-2 ppb, close to the EPA target detection limit. The ability of the Phase I test to reliably measure Pb in drinking water (neat and spiked with authentic Pb) was successfully demonstrated and benchmarked vs. the Hach LeadTrak. It is highly feasible to measure Pb at expected ppb concentrations in drinking water by methods developed here. A path to a simple, consumer-friendly device to be used in conjunction with the test strip for evaluation of lead in drinking water was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
It was successfully demonstrated that a simple, but analytically rigorous method for lead measurement in drinking water could be developed. The electroanalytical method will provide a highly reliable determination of Pb(II) with high resolution at ppb concentrations. The resulting device will provide a simple, visual indicator of water quality and safety for the consumer.
The 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.