News Release

July 10, 2006

Environmental Protection Agency Awards Start-up Funds to Boise State Researchers to Develop Arsenic Sensor

Boise State University chemistry professor Dale Russell peers into a microscope while injecting a polymer solution onto a microelectronic device that will be used to detect and measure arsenic in water supplies. Russell and a team of Boise State researchers received start-up funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop and test the portable sensor. (Click to enlarge image)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded start-up funding to a team of Boise State University researchers to develop and test a portable sensor to detect arsenic in public water supplies.

The small sensor could be used on-site to measure the levels of different forms of arsenic, and then rapidly transmit the data to a remote station. At present, there are no portable devices for measuring arsenic in ground or surface water, or identifying different forms of the element, said Dale Russell, a Boise State chemistry professor who is leading the project.

Russell and her team received a $50,000 seed grant from the EPA as part of a program administered by the Center for Environmental Sensing at Boise State to encourage new research. Others on the team are Shawn Benner, a professor in the Department of Geosciences who specializes in geochemistry, and Warren Barrash, a research professor and hydrologist with the Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface at Boise State.

Arsenic levels in public water supplies have received national attention in recent months following the EPA’s action in January to lower allowable limits in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. In southwest Idaho, an estimated 40 percent of groundwater wells contain arsenic at levels above the new clean drinking water standard, according to Idaho Department of Water Resources reports. Because arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and sediments, addressing the contamination is particularly challenging.

According to Russell, some forms of arsenic are as much as 1,000 times more toxic than other forms. By identifying what form is present in a drinking water supply, officials will better be able to assess health risks and decide which treatment strategy would work best.

“At present, there are no field sensors that identify different arsenic species. It really opens up the options if you have that information,” Russell said.

For example, officials dealing with a highly toxic form of arsenic could dilute the water supply with cleaner water from another source to lower the overall levels, or treat it directly. If the arsenic was a less toxic form, officials could consider different treatment options. It’s also conceivable that in the future, a more sophisticated set of regulations based on the type of arsenic could be developed if officials had an easy way to distinguish what form of arsenic predominated in a water supply.

High levels of arsenic have been linked to cancers of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate. Non-cancer effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in the hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness. A 2001 report by the National Academy of Sciences indicates that the excess lifetime risk of lung or bladder cancer would be approximately 7 in 1,000 for someone consuming water containing 20 parts per billion arsenic as their primary drinking water source.

Designing, building and testing the arsenic sensor requires expertise in a number of fields, including chemistry, electrical engineering, hydrology, geology and geophysics. Russell is designing and building the sensor prototypes in her laboratory in the Chemistry Department. Once the prototype is completed, Barrash and Benner will conduct a variety of field tests.

The sensor works by identifying arsenic molecules according to shape, size and electrical charge, then transmitting a signal proportional to the amount of each form of arsenic detected. The probe can be inserted directly in surface water such as a pond or in groundwater, and provides accurate information very rapidly. It could be hand-held for spot monitoring or permanently placed in a water source to provide continuous information. The inexpensive sensor has a wide range of potential applications, including allowing small communities to test their water at low cost.

The arsenic sensor research builds on previous sensor work Russell has pursued since joining Boise State’s faculty in 1995. Russell received Boise State’s first patent in 2002 for her selective mercury electrode, which provides an easy and reliable method of detecting mercury. The electrode could someday be used as part of clean-up efforts at mine sites or in medical analyses such as telling dentists when to replace fillings.

Russell also has a patent pending with the U.S. Patent Office for her uranium sensor, which detects the presence of uranium in water at 10 parts per trillion and also detects plutonium and thorium. The portable sensor could be used as part of efforts to monitor and clean up nuclear waste sites, to verify compliance with nuclear non-proliferation treats, and for other uses.

A prolific inventor, Russell has 13 awarded patents, including a number she received while working as a scientist for Hewlett-Packard. She also has another four patent applications, including the uranium sensor, currently in various stages of the patent process.

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Contact: Dale Russell, Department of Chemistry, (208) 426-3975, drussell@boisestate.edu 
Media Contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu.

Caption: Boise State University chemistry professor Dale Russell peers into a microscope while injecting a polymer solution onto a microelectronic device that will be used to detect and measure arsenic in water supplies. Russell and a team of Boise State researchers received start-up funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop and test the portable sensor.

Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007