July 10, 2006
Environmental Protection Agency Awards Start-up Funds to Boise State Researchers to Develop Arsenic Sensor
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
awarded start-up funding to a team of Boise State University
researchers to develop and test a portable sensor to detect arsenic
in public water supplies.
The small sensor could be used on-site to measure the levels of
different forms of arsenic, and then rapidly transmit the data to a
remote station. At present, there are no portable devices for
measuring arsenic in ground or surface water, or identifying
different forms of the element, said Dale Russell, a Boise State
chemistry professor who is leading the project.
Russell and her team received a $50,000 seed grant from the EPA as
part of a program administered by the Center for Environmental
Sensing at Boise State to encourage new research. Others on the team
are Shawn Benner, a professor in the Department of Geosciences who
specializes in geochemistry, and Warren Barrash, a research
professor and hydrologist with the Center for Geophysical
Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface at Boise State.
Arsenic levels in public water supplies have received national
attention in recent months following the EPA’s action in January to
lower allowable limits in drinking water from 50 parts per billion
to 10 parts per billion. In southwest Idaho, an estimated 40 percent
of groundwater wells contain arsenic at levels above the new clean
drinking water standard, according to Idaho Department of Water
Resources reports. Because arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and
sediments, addressing the contamination is particularly challenging.
According to Russell, some forms of arsenic are as much as 1,000
times more toxic than other forms. By identifying what form is
present in a drinking water supply, officials will better be able to
assess health risks and decide which treatment strategy would work
best.
“At present, there are no field sensors that identify different
arsenic species. It really opens up the options if you have that
information,” Russell said.
For example, officials dealing with a highly toxic form of arsenic
could dilute the water supply with cleaner water from another source
to lower the overall levels, or treat it directly. If the arsenic
was a less toxic form, officials could consider different treatment
options. It’s also conceivable that in the future, a more
sophisticated set of regulations based on the type of arsenic could
be developed if officials had an easy way to distinguish what form
of arsenic predominated in a water supply.
High levels of arsenic have been linked to cancers of the bladder,
lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate. Non-cancer
effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin,
stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in the hands and
feet, partial paralysis and blindness. A 2001 report by the National
Academy of Sciences indicates that the excess lifetime risk of lung
or bladder cancer would be approximately 7 in 1,000 for someone
consuming water containing 20 parts per billion arsenic as their
primary drinking water source.
Designing, building and testing the arsenic sensor requires
expertise in a number of fields, including chemistry, electrical
engineering, hydrology, geology and geophysics. Russell is designing
and building the sensor prototypes in her laboratory in the
Chemistry Department. Once the prototype is completed, Barrash and
Benner will conduct a variety of field tests.
The sensor works by identifying arsenic molecules according to
shape, size and electrical charge, then transmitting a signal
proportional to the amount of each form of arsenic detected. The
probe can be inserted directly in surface water such as a pond or in
groundwater, and provides accurate information very rapidly. It
could be hand-held for spot monitoring or permanently placed in a
water source to provide continuous information. The inexpensive
sensor has a wide range of potential applications, including
allowing small communities to test their water at low cost.
The arsenic sensor research builds on previous sensor work Russell
has pursued since joining Boise State’s faculty in 1995. Russell
received Boise State’s first patent in 2002 for her selective
mercury electrode, which provides an easy and reliable method of
detecting mercury. The electrode could someday be used as part of
clean-up efforts at mine sites or in medical analyses such as
telling dentists when to replace fillings.
Russell also has a patent pending with the U.S. Patent Office for
her uranium sensor, which detects the presence of uranium in water
at 10 parts per trillion and also detects plutonium and thorium. The
portable sensor could be used as part of efforts to monitor and
clean up nuclear waste sites, to verify compliance with nuclear
non-proliferation treats, and for other uses.
A prolific inventor, Russell has 13 awarded patents, including a
number she received while working as a scientist for
Hewlett-Packard. She also has another four patent applications,
including the uranium sensor, currently in various stages of the
patent process.
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Contact: Dale Russell, Department of Chemistry, (208) 426-3975,
drussell@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208)
426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu.
Boise State University is the largest institution of higher
education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and
staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical
degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university
located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to
life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.
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