We received an inquiry about Arsenic Quick Test Kits from 'Alana' who asked, "I would like to know cost and purchase information on the arsenic test kit for my child's science project. Can different foods be tested? Also, how many tests can be done with one kit? What is the purchase price of one kit?"
The cost of an Arsenic Quick Test Kit varies depending upon the levels of detection required for the testing and the number of tests in the kit. For a school project we think something like the Arsenic Quick 5's Kit may work well since it will allow your daughter to test 5 different samples of water and it typically provides an adequate detection range for most residential water sources.
On the matter of testing foods for arsenic, we do not have much information to share because we have not tried an experiments using foods. In theory the kits should work using food in the same manner as they do wood but a few potential problems come to mind:
1) There's no way to determine the expected arsenic levels in other materials so the kit may lack the appropriate detection range to pick up traces of arsenic if present.
2) Since the Arsenic Quick Test Kits rely on test pad areas that change color to indicate concentrations of arsenic in samples, violent reactions where colored samples splatter up on test pad areas would invalidate any results obtained.
For additional (or more detailed) information on the Arsenic Quick Test Kits and their capabilities, feel free to contact us, again, or you may always contact the manufacturer directly (Industrial Test Systems, Inc.).
