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Arsenic testing field kits: some considerations and recommendations

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Abstract

In recent years field test kits have been largely used to identify arsenic (As) levels in contaminated water sources in Bangladesh, West Bengal (India), and elsewhere in the world to establish whether or not the water is safe. Most of the kits are based on the reaction of arsine gas with some chemical agent to form a coloured complex; the intensity of the colour is compared visually with a colour-coded chart or measured electronically to calculate the concentration of As in the water sample. In this paper, a step-wise review is presented of the analytical process used in the most commonly available As field test kits and the associated shortcomings of each of these kits. We also identify the research gaps for future work to enhance the accuracy and reliability of test results produced by these kits.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Director of ICEWaRM (International Centre of Excellence in Water Resource Management), Australia for financial support provided for the visit of Dr. Meenakshi Arora to CRC CARE and the CERAR, University of South Australia, Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources, India Habitat Centre, TERI University, New Delhi, India

    Meenakshi Arora

  2. PFPC, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Melbourne University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Meenakshi Arora

  3. Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Mallavarapu Megharaj & Ravi Naidu

  4. Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, PO Box 486, Salisbury South, SA, 5106, Australia

    Mallavarapu Megharaj

Authors
  1. Meenakshi Arora
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  2. Mallavarapu Megharaj
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  3. Ravi Naidu
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Correspondence to Meenakshi Arora.

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Arora, M., Megharaj, M. & Naidu, R. Arsenic testing field kits: some considerations and recommendations. Environ Geochem Health 31 (Suppl 1), 45–48 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9231-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9231-4

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