EPA and six federal and local cosponsoring organizations announce the Phase 1 winners of the Water Toxicity Sensor Challenge, designed to stimulate the advancement of novel toxicity-based sensors for water monitoring.

Monitoring the increasing number of pollutants in source waters is an ongoing concern for water treatment systems and water resource managers. Pesticides, heavy metals, personal care products, natural toxins such as those from cyanobacteria, and a host of other organic and inorganic chemical pollutants and their products all can increase toxicity in water.

Current methods for detecting and identifying many of these contaminants are expensive, time-consuming, and require the use of specialized laboratories. The numbers of sensors, instruments, tests, labs, personnel, and other costs can become an economic burden for water system managers and water resource managers. If the identity of the potential contaminant is unknown, this process becomes even more complex and cost prohibitive.

QBI’s current biosensor platform can detect a suite of contaminants including arsenic, cadmium, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, copper, zinc, uranium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonium. Ongoing efforts at QBI are developing capabilities for PFAS, pesticides, opioids, and pharmaceuticals including antibodies. See more about QBI’s sensor here.