Team:WPI Worcester/HP/Silver
Human Practices: Silver Requirement
Lead Contamination in Your Drinking Water (survey)
Communication with professionals
Throughout the summer we communicated with various professionals regarding different aspects of our project. This included talking to various water testing companies, the FDA, and Dr. Scarlet Shell. The water testing companies contacted are listed below. The first company, Analytical Balance Corp. allowed us to visit and walked us through their lab and the different processes of testing for lead, as well as other contaminants. We asked all of the companies about how they tested water for lead contamination, how long testing took, and how expensive it was for the consumer. All tests used some sort of mass spectrometry because it detects lead below 1 part per billion, and it is an EPA approved test. The most common tests were inductively coupled plasma, or ICP, mass spectrometry, and flame test mass spectrometry. ICP is more efficient, and can test for multiple contaminants in a few hours. We learned that the reason colorimetric testing is not used because there is not a test accurate enough to be approved by the EPA, and because people see colors differently it can also lower accuracy. It usually takes companies between 3 and 14 day to get back to customers, and tests can range from $25 to over $150. In some cases we also asked what would be the response if they found a water sample contained lead. In this case, it depends on the state regulations, and where the lead contaminated sample came from.
Lead Detection
Analytical Balance Corp. (personal visit)
Barnstable County Health
BHC Company
Department of Public Health (DEP)
Geo Labs, Inc.
Metropolitan District Hartford, CT
New Britain Water Company
Northeast Environment Lab
Regional Water Authority (CT)
STL Westfield
Colorimetric Testing
Because our biosensor and lead assay consisted of colorimetric testing, Analytical balance Corp. recommended that we contact IDEXX. They make colorimetric tests to detect living organisms in water. Most of their tests colors were used to indicate if a test was positive or negative. They did not have many suggestions because the testing between microorganisms and lead is so different. They suggested we contact Hach which is another company that works a lot to develop colorimetric tests. Hach had many different tests kits, and we ended up using one of their lead test kits after it was determined that our other lead assay was too variable.
IDEXX
Hach
Probiotic
FDA: classification of probiotic difference in classification
We also met with Dr. Scarlet Shell, a microbiologist and professor at WPI. More information about this meeting and its results are posted on the Gold Requirement Page.
Lead Poisoning Treatment
Valeant Pharmaceutical Lincoln Pediatrics Massachusetts Child Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Lead Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital
