BNC’s Simple Arsenic-Sensing Device Could Save Lives

Bio Nano Consulting (BNC) is pleased to announce that the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has included BNC’s proprietary arsenic testing technology as an Impact Case Study on its website:

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/research/impact/simple-arsenic-sensor-could-save-lives/

BNC has developed the low-cost, easy-to-use arsenic sensor that can be used to test drinking water in conjunction with collaborators at University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London, with partial support coming from BBSRC funding. Privately-held BNC, which was formerly a spin-out company from the two universities, has patented the sensor design and is now carrying out field trials.

The sensor is small, sensitive and accurate, and produces an immediate measure of the arsenic level in water, at a cost of less than $1 per test. This makes it suitable for testing multiple sites in rural areas in low and middle-income countries, where the problem of arsenic poisoning from contaminated drinking water is greatest. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 140M people across 70 countries drink water that contains unsafe levels of arsenic.