To drink or not to drink: home kit for the detection of pollutants in water

Our Objetive

We are building a water biosensor, but with a modular and scalable approach. Thereby, you could easily afford multiple measurements, with the very same device, just changing the promotor. The project will focus on the measurement of a primary pollutant: arsenic. However, its design provides an easy way to incorporate various contaminants already identified, such as nitrate / nitrite, lead and hydrocarbons. We aim to build a home kit, so people could use it without any previus knowledge or science background.	Contamination is a mayor and continuously growing worldwide problem. As only 2.5% of the water is available for human consumption and just 1% of it supplies ecosystems and human populations, contamination in natural springs is a key issue to be addressed. Health problems in developing countries many times derive from unsuitable water supply or incorrect treatment, and waterborne diseases are still a concern and a substantial cause of death in these regions. Limited access to pure water is a problem that tends to worsen. Making water suitable for human consumption could be easy and inexpensive, although this depends on the type of contamination, complexity and abundance. Even if this was not possible, information on pollutant levels could be used to modify consumption patterns and seek alternative sources.