Scientists have developed a test to determine the level of fluoride in water. This has been reported by the American Northwestern University.
Tens of millions of people live in areas where water is contaminated with fluoride, a colorless, odorless and tasteless substance. It is difficult to determine the exact extent of the problem due to the high cost and complexity of test equipment.
Julius Laks of Northwestern University and his colleagues set out to develop an easier way to detect this toxin. To do this, the authors used natural biosensors, which are molecules used by microbes to detect the presence of contaminants. The resulting cell-free biological systems were named ROSALIND. They come in the form of small test strips that need to be soaked in water.
To test this technology, the research team collected 57 water samples from 36 rural households in Kenya to evaluate the accuracy of fluoride measurements compared to an expensive and complex instrument, a photometer. It was also important to find out if the test results could be easily interpreted by casual users without special training.
It turned out that the tester itself was able to accurately detect the increased presence of fluoride in 84% of cases. The World Health Organization considers concentrations above 1.5 parts per million as such. In addition, the results of the test were understandable to humans: in 1 out of 57 cases, inconsistencies in interpretation between scientists and users occurred.
The authors hope their test will improve the quality of drinking water in poor countries with underdeveloped environmental and sanitation services.