Northwestern University synthetic biologists developed a simple, inexpensive new test that can detect dangerous levels of fluoride in drinking water.
Costing just pennies to make, the system only needs a drip and a flick: Drip a tiny water droplet into a prepared test tube, flick the tube once to mix it and wait. If the water turns yellow, then an excessive amount of fluoride — exceeding the EPA’s most stringent regulatory standards — is present.
This method is starkly different from current tests, which cost hundreds of dollars and often require scientific expertise to use.
The researchers tested the system both in the laboratory at Northwestern and in the field in Costa Rica, where fluoride is naturally abundant near the Irazu volcano. When consumed in high amounts over long periods of time, fluoride can cause skeletal fluorosis, a painful condition that hardens bones and joints.
Read more at Northwestern University
Image: Ph.D. student Matthew Verosloff tests the system in Costa Rica. CREDIT: Northwestern University.