Evaluation of a field-test kit for triazine herbicides (SensioScreen® TR500) as a fast assay to detect pesticide contamination in water samples

Abstract

A field-test kit (SensioScreen ® TR500) for the determination of triazine herbicides in water samples has been evaluated. The test is based on an ELISA method performed on a membrane that allows the visual estimation of the presence of triazine herbicides in less than ten minutes. The kit contains all necessary reagents and equipment, and operates on a very simple protocol. The detection level of this semiquantitative kit has been set at 0.5 µg L -1 (for the sum of all triazines), although concentration levels of 0.1 µg L -1 for atrazine can be detected. This is the first time that a commercial field-test kit to control water contamination by herbicides performs in compliance with the EU and USA legislations regarding the limit of detection reached. Evaluation and validation studies have been performed using spiked, certified (AquaCheck) and real environmental samples comparing the results with chromatographic methods. In spite of the semiquantitative-qualitative character of the kit, the results demonstrate that the test SensioScreen TR500 provides a very good estimation of the atrazine concentration in the sample. This test format could be adapted to the detection of other contaminants of environmental relevance.

Preparation of Quantum Dot−Biotin Conjugates and Their Use in Immunochromatography Assays

“…Although these properties have been achieved by other flow immunofiltrations assays, − QDs may one day improve upon these assays by making single column multianalyte tests possible. Although there are currently numerous diagnostics methods for laboratory immunoassays, − few techniques are suitable for field testing. − Field assays are important for providing rapid information when time is critical, whether that be for first responders dealing with a potential biohazard or medical personnel providing treatment in remote locations. A multianalyte QD flow immunofiltration assay could provide the sensitivity and flexibility required to be a useful field analysis method.…”

Brief Communication: Use of field test kit for detection of lead in drinking water in Philippines post the disaster typhoon Haiyan

“…The commercial test kits provide semi-quantitative results, and are advertised as a simple, quick and low-cost method for assessing heavy metal hazards in the filed where qualified laboratory is not available. Although field test kits have been widely used for detecting various chemical substances in environmental samples (Ormaza-Gonzalez and Villalba-Flor, 1994;Berkowitz, 1995;Sheets, 1998;Kinniburgh and Kosmus, 2002;Ballesteros et al, 2003;Deshpande and Pande, 2005;Bhattacharya et al, 2007;Jakariya et al, 2007;Korfmacher and Dixon, 2007), comparisons between analytical results of field method and laboratory measurements were reported by a few researchers (Ormaza-Gonzalez and Villalba-Flor, 1994;Berkowitz, 1995;Sheets, 1998;Kinniburgh and Kosmus, 2002;Ballesteros et al, 2003;Jakariya et al, 2007). In 1995, Berkowitz reported that the lead test kit for detecting lead-contaminated drinking water samples was found to be reliable compared with laboratory analysis by X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (Berkowitz, 1995).…”

Determination of pesticides by enzyme immunoassay

“…These herbicides are most frequently used as model compounds in research studies on the optimization of various immunochemical methods for determining pesticides. The development and use of ELISA methods for determining atrazine were considered in review [41] and references [42][43][44][45][46]; references [47][48][49][50][51][52] may be considered among the most important and interesting publications on the determination of 2,4-D.…”