TraceDetect and Frontier Geosciences aim to develop a stand-alone ASV instrument with performance that is comparable to or better than most atomic spectroscopic detectors currently used for the determination of arsenic in waters. This instrument will also constantly monitor the concentration of arsenic in any fluid stream. We have designed an on-line pretreatment system and a novel flow-cell that will use the patented and proven technology of Nano-Band (TM) Electrodes to determine arsenic concentrations at or below 0.2 ppb. This innovative trace metal monitor integrates our advanced-technology Nano-Band Electrodes with an integrated fluidics system and instrument controller capable of automated measurements. It will also feature in-situ sensor regeneration and calibration, and a sample pretreatment manifold to extract and speciate arsenic in the incoming stream of drinking water. The development plan starts with construction and testing of a prototype system, including viable pretreatment chemistries which will allow arsenic speciation and suppression of interferences from organic compounds (fouling) and other metals (false positives). The successful prototype system will be beta tested: on-site performance will determine the final Phase Ill design and feature specification of the product. Successful completion will be immediately beneficial and commercially viable: arsenic exposure is a worldwide problem, and chronic arsenic poisoning is a serious issue for China, Taiwan, Thailand, Mexico, Chile, India, and Bangladesh. The sources of arsenic exposure vary from burning arsenic-rich coal (China) and mining activities (Malaysia, Japan), to the ingestion of arsenic-contaminated drinking water (Bangladesh, Taiwan, Inner Mongolia, China). Furthermore, the US EPA considers arsenic to be a contaminant of primary concern (CPC). Even though the target concentration of arsenic in drinking water is 0 mu g/L, in a compromise between technical feasibility, economic impact, analytical capabilities and toxicological concerns, the US EPA has lowered the drinking water criterion for arsenic to 10 mu g/L.
