First Ever Biosensor Technology to Be Employed for California Water "Snapshot Day"
Vista, California, April 22, 2009 — In early May, California citizen monitoring groups will perform water quality testing for "Snapshot Day" throughout the state. For the first time ever, Assure Controls' biosensor technology will provide toxicity testing to identify potentially toxic locations. These compromised locations can then be further tested or remediation begun. The QwikLite® 200 rapid toxicity test provides results in 24 hours or less (per ASTM Standard E1924 "Standard Guide for Conducting Toxicity Tests with Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates"). This live species test method utilizes sensitive plankton as an indicator of harmful levels of contaminants and provides a critical tool for water body screening and baseline assessments.
"We will literally be performing hundreds of toxicity tests on samples collected by thousands of volunteers," stated Mickele Hughes Bragg, Product Marketing Manager. "Until recently, a live species toxicity test was neither timely nor affordable. Rapid toxicity assessments have never been done on this scale. "
The availability of a simple kit containing sensitive plankton has made toxicity detection an affordable and easy to perform capability. If contaminants are present, bioluminescence is reduced (as toxicity increases, light decreases). The $100 per site cost is about 1/10th the cost of traditional tests which must be performed in a specialized laboratory. Consequently, more testing is possible, and actionable data is available sooner. The QwikLite instrument retails for $5,500.00.
This event is aligned with the recently announced EPA initiative, "Healthy Watersheds" which emphasizes protection and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. It is more cost-effective to protect healthy watersheds than it is to restore impaired ones. Over 40,000 rivers or bodies of water in the US are listed as exceeding toxicity limits for contaminants. Due to the vigilance and stewardship of citizen monitoring groups, toxicity from non-point source contaminants can now be assessed and monitored. Non point source contaminants include general pollutants which enter water bodies from agricultural areas, neighborhoods, storm water run-off from parking lots and even wind-borne debris.
Founded in 2005, Assure Controls is a product development and marketing company with specialized measurement and reporting expertise for environmental water applications. Assure is headquartered in Vista, California with manufacturing and distribution in the U.S. and Hong Kong.
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