Last year scientists tried out the new arsenic test method in real-life conditions in Vietnam and Bangladesh and determined that it worked reliably. Photo: Carola Endes/UFZ

Erwin Schrödinger Prize 2010

More than 100 million people worldwide are at risk from arsenic-contaminated drinking water, especially in Southeast Asia. Local levels of arsenic vary widely and, ideally, every well should be tested. In the past this would have required complex laboratory analyses, but now Professor Hauke Harms and Dr. Mona C. Wells of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) – working together with Professor Jan-Roelof van der Meer of Lausanne University – have developed a new test method (ARSOlux®) to determine arsenic concentrations in water. In recognition of this work, they have been awarded the Erwin Schrödinger Prize 2010, which comes with a purse of 50,000 euros.

The ARSOlux® test method is based on microbiological findings and uses genetically modified bacteria as so-called bioreporters. The bacteria strains are enhanced with reporter genes that cause the cells to produce luminescent proteins when they come into contact with arsenic. These genetically modified bacteria are freeze-dried and stored in test tubes and only begin working when the test tube is filled with a water sample. A small device is used to measure the luminescence, which reflects the arsenic concentration in the water.

At a cost of around 1.20 euros per test, the ARSOlux ® procedure is considerably less expensive than chemical laboratory analyses, and experts say that the information it provides is much more conclusive. In contrast to pure chemical analysis, the bioreporter bacteria show the degree to which organisms are exposed to arsenic compounds in water. The test is simple and can be accurately performed by non-scientists as well.

Over the last few years, the scientists have tested the patented method extensively in Vietnam and Bangladesh. In addition, with support from the Helmholtz Enterprise Fund (HEF), they have succeeded in developing it into a marketable product. They now plan to found a company that will begin producing the measuring devices and test kits in 2011. The devices could initially be used in the mobile clinics that visit villages in Bangladesh, but potential customers also include international relief organisations, which could perform the tests prior to drilling wells in order to determine whether the water is safe to drink.

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