Feasibility study to assess viability of low-cost digital field sensor (AquAffirm-As™) for real-time measurement of arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh

The WHO estimates that over 140m people in 70 countries regularly drink water contaminated with arsenic, which is poisonous even in trace amounts. Long-term exposure through drinking water can lead to arsenic poisoning, which causes skin lesions, cancers, childhood learning difficulties and, often, death. Bangladesh is one of the worst affected countries where up to 50m people drink water with excessive arsenic. Indeed, the WHO called the situation in Bangladesh: "the largest mass-poisoning of a population in history". Despite the scale of the problem and importance of routine testing of tube-wells for arsenic, current field-tests use colourimetric methods that are slow, imprecise, difficult-to-interpret and not web-connected. AquAffirm is addressing this issue with development of the AquAffirm-As(tm), the first rapid, low-cost, easy-to-use digital field-test for arsenic in drinking water. This novel demonstration-ready test represents a significant advance in management of the arsenic problem: its speed, precision chemistry and digital readout substantially improve upon current tests; web-connectivity and algorithmic data-analysis will enable optimised decision-making regarding locations of new safe wells. Through this Phase I project AquAffirm will extend its network of collaborators within Bangladesh and establish the technical and commercial feasibility of the test through contacts within academia, government and NGOs.