Testing Handheld Assays for Detecting Toxins in Water
Author Information
Author(s): Mary Margaret Wade, Tracey D. Biggs, Joseph M. Insalaco, Lisa K. Neuendorff, Vicky L. H. Bevilacqua, Amanda M. Schenning, Lisa M. Reilly, Saumil S. Shah, Edward K. Conley, Peter A. Emanuel, Alan W. Zulich
Primary Institution: Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, U.S. Army, RDECOM
Hypothesis
The study sought to assess the effectiveness of handheld assays (HHAs) in detecting ricin and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) in water.
Conclusion
The HHAs tested were less effective at detecting ricin and SEB in disinfected water, as currently configured.
Supporting Evidence
- Ricin and SEB were detected in formulated tap water at or below health effect levels.
- Detection limits increased significantly in chlorinated and brominated waters.
- Singleplex assays performed better than multiplex assays in detecting toxins.
Takeaway
The study tested tools that can check if water is safe to drink by looking for harmful toxins, but they didn't work well when the water was treated with disinfectants.
Methodology
HHAs were evaluated in various water types spiked with ricin and SEB to determine limits of detection.
Limitations
HHAs were not optimized for detecting toxins in water and showed increased limits of detection in disinfected waters.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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