Researchers studied lead detection technologies to recommend affordable methods for under-resourced communities in India and beyond.
2024年7月11日 - 1:01PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
TAUW, Pure Earth, and Lumetallix evaluated over a dozen methods
to detect lead in soil to identify low-cost tools to scale up
efforts to prevent lead exposure and poisoning. Current detection
methods, such as handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers,
though effective, are very expensive, require specialized training,
thus limiting their accessibility.
“If we can provide a set of tools for residents and local
governments to identify a source of lead pollution in a quick and
affordable manner, the exposure risk becomes tangible,” says Ilona
van der Kroef with TAUW, “and risk mitigation steps can be taken
sooner.”
The best available data from Indian institutions and others
suggest that half of all children in the country have harmful
levels of lead in their blood. Lead exposure results in decreased
IQ, behavioral problems, cardiovascular damage, stunted growth, and
even premature death. The consequences to public health and
economic development are staggering.
The project report, The Assessment Of Lead Detection Methods In
Tamil Nadu India And Beyond, details the investigation beginning
with an evaluation of 13 potential low-cost lead detection methods,
selecting four for further testing: ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian
Blue), sodium rhodizonate, RGB Image Recognition, and Lumetallix.
Following laboratory and field tests, two methods, sodium
rhodizonate and Lumetallix, showed promise and were subjected to
comprehensive field trials in Tamil Nadu.
After extensive testing, the research team concluded that when
developing lead poisoning prevention programs with community
involvement, a combination of the three techniques—sodium
rhodizonate, Lumetallix, and handheld XRF analyzer or conventional
laboratory analyses—should be viewed as complementary.
Both sodium rhodizonate and Lumetallix could be utilized by
communities to pre-screen an area. The Lumetallix test kit offers a
practical, affordable and fast solution for large-scale screening,
making it a valuable tool for initial mapping and identification of
lead pollution hotspots. The sodium rhodizonate test, although more
time consuming, provides fewer tests, but with a more definitive
indication of soil lead levels above a threshold of concern.
To learn more, watch the research team as they trial the range
of methods on-site in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240710019859/en/
Media contacts: Pure Earth: Angela
Bernhardt, angela@pureearth.org Lumetallix: Xander Terpstra CCO
& Partner, xander@lumetallix.com TAUW: Ilona van der Kroef
MSc., Consultant Hazardous Waste and Contaminated Sites,
ilona.vanderkroef@tauw.com