Quite honestly we do not know if Arsenic Quick Test Kits would test for arsenic in wine for two main reasons:

1) Ingredients in the wine sample may cause a more ‘violent’ bubbling than water and result in the test area on the suspended test pad getting wet. If the test pad gets wet, the test becomes invalid.

2) The sample may contain organically bound arsenic and the test kit cannot detect organically bound arsenic. We suspect that the wines contain organically bound arsenic because as far as we know, it is the free dissolved arsenic that health officials know causes health issues and hopefully someone would have noticed dangerous free arsenic levels in such a highly regulated industry before now.

So why did the tests performed by the labs on those wines come up ‘high’?

Our ‘guess’: During laboratory analysis samples get ‘prepared’ in various manners which break down the bonds between organic matter and contaminants like arsenic so that the contaminants may get detected in their ‘natural’ (i.e. free) state… and quantified.

Does organically bound arsenic pose risks?

We suppose it must in some way, but as of yet we have not read very many articles on the matter and therefore must refrain from rendering an opinion on the matter.

Our advice?

Arsenic is arsenic, and it sounds bad no matter how you slice it. None of us drink a lot of wine, but, should the day come when beer starts showing up with high test results for arsenic, we will choose our beers accordingly. 🙂

Water Test Kit Store carries the Arsenic Quick brand of arsenic testing products which works quite well for detecting levels of free dissolved arsenic in drinking water... but we do not know how well they would work when used to test non-water samples.

Several factors may play a part in determining whether or not the Arsenic Quick Test Kits will work in your suggested application:

• The concentration of arsenic may be too low or too high for the test kit to detect.
• Ingredients in the sample may cause a more 'violent' bubbling than water and result in the test area on the suspended test pad getting wet.  If the pad gets wet, the test becomes invalid.
• The sample may contain organically bound arsenic and the test kit cannot detect organically bound arsenic.

To sum all that up, we do not know if the test kit we carry will work for Orgain or any type of sample other than water (or wood).

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.).

Thank you for contacting the Water Testing Blog, Yulia. We know that the Arsenic Quick Test Kit can test for dissolved arsenic in wood (wood shavings/chips in water) since the test pad itself does not actually get immersed in the sample. Therefore we suspect that one could use the test kit on pretty much any ‘liquid’ — sort of.

Hypothetically, if one performed a test on the same amount (i.e. mass or weight) of formula as called out for wood in the test procedure for testing arsenic levels in wood, then logically the results obtained ought to have some level of validity.

Keep in mind, though, that deviating from ANY test procedure inherently introduces elements of inaccuracy when it comes to the test’s results… and therefore one should take ‘positive’ results as a sign that additional (i.e. laboratory) testing should get performed using methodology specifically designed for the testing of dissolved arsenic levels in food substances.

Thus far in our limited research we have found only one kit that we THINK may have the ability to perform testing on various juices: Arsenic Quick. Why do we think this kit may have promise? Quite simply, its design (hanging the test pad reaction area above the liquid getting tested and relying solely upon arsenic gas liberated by a small quantity of food grade acid) means the color of the juice ought not interfere with reading the resultant color of the test pad after at the completion of the test.

Food grade acid? Liberated arsenic gas? Is this test SAFE?

Having performed the test numerous times ourselves, we can assure you that the test procedure and required testing reagents pose little to no harm to people performing the tests.

Food Grade Acid – Instead of using more caustic and potentially dangerous acids like other kits, the Arsenic Quick Test Kit uses tartaric acid, an acid commonly found in various ingredients used in foods most of us eat on a daily basis.

Liberated Arsenic Gas – While the directions for the Arsenic Quick Test Kit instruct testing personnel to perform testing in a well-ventilated area, the amount of gas generated by such a small sample should pose no risks.

But, just the same… open a window in the kitchen and turn on the stove exhaust fan (if you have one), test in the garage w/ the door open, or take some other precaution that will keep fresh air coming into the test area.

Proper precaution in any testing environment, even if the testing environment seems safe, always pays off!

What juice brands contained arsenic? Name brands you might recognize included Minute Maid, Mott’s, Gerber, Welch’s, and Great Value ( source )

Did other brands ring in as containing arsenic, as well? Yes, and the same study also explored the lead content in various juices — and discovered that an alarming number of juice brands contained unsettling amounts of lead.

Scary times, in our opinion, when juice manufacturers — or the manufacturers of ANY food or beverage product — do not take into consideration contaminant levels like lead or arsenic regardless of whether or not the levels violate Federal Law.

We believe that companies who produce products intended for use or consumption by children really ought to hold themselves to higher standards than Federal Laws mandate since laws dictating food & beverage products — and possibly every aspect of our lives — only go on the books AFTER something becomes a problem, people get sick, someone dies, etc.

Many of you may have seen episodes of murder mystery shows where the killer used arsenic to poison his/her victims… because it WORKS as a lethal poison in the right doses and also causes debilitating conditions with prolonged exposure at lower levels.

Find more information on arsenic and test kits for arsenic in places like water, soil and wood below:

• Basic Information About Arsenic
• Arsenic Test Kits (water, soil, wood)
• Arsenic Quick Test Kits
• Arsenic Category on Water Testing Blog

We mentioned lead in the title of this article… so we will now tell you that the same study mentioned above ALSO determined that popular brands of juice contained higher than expected levels of lead, too.

For those not knowledgeable about lead in water or the effects of lead on the human body — especially young children — it will suffice to say that it does bad, bad things and you do not want it in your food or water.

Over the years we have posted numerous articles about lead in water, testing for lead in water and various ways to remove lead from drinking water. Check out those lead in water postings in the Water Testing Blog ‘Lead’ Archives.

What is Arsenic and Where Does It Come From?

Free arsenic which can adversely affect human health comes from a reaction between certain types of igneous (volcanic) rock and oxygen when a water table (aquifer) drops. This reaction liberates ‘free’ arsenic and once the water table rises again, that ‘free’ arsenic gets carried away by the ground water.

What About Surface Water? Can Arsenic Get Into Surface Water?

Many bodies of surface water get fed by run off from streams and tributaries which get their water originally from underground sources. Additionally we must not forget that “fly ash containing arsenic can be a potential source of contamination to both surface water and ground water.” ( source )

How Can Private Individuals Test Their Water for Arsenic?

Yes they can, but please keep in mind that no at-home drinking water test kit for arsenic will suffice if you need a definitive answer as to whether or not your drinking water conatins arsenic. Only water analysis performed by a certified laboratory will provide you with those sorts of answers when dealing with water quality issues which can directly affect your health.

Why bother using an at-home test kits for arsenic in drinking water? Simple: Performing a simple screening for contaminants on your own between certified water tests greatly decreases your risk of exposure to harmful contaminats like arsenic.

Nationally recognized organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Well Owners Organization suggest testing for drinking water contamination on a regular basis, and not just when an event such as flood takes place.

Arsenic Quick Home Water Quality Test Kit

The kit above has a detection range of 0.0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.06, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, <0.5, <0.5 ppm (mg/L) and you may also use this kit for determining the arsenic concentration of soil. With a total test time of just 12 minutes, this inexpensive (< $20 USD) home water test kit makes testing well water, groundwater, surface water and all forms of drinking water a breeze!

“A lack of regulation means a third of baby rice on sale in the UK contains worryingly high levels of carcinogenic inorganic arsenic, according to researchers.

The study, carried out by scientists from the University of Aberdeen and published this month in the journal Environmental Pollution, said this meant some children could be getting six times the recommended inorganic arsenic for their weight.

The levels detected in some of the samples would be illegal in China, where there are stringent controls in place. But while there are European Union and American regulations for arsenic levels in drinking water, there are currently no laws to direct the amounts of arsenic allowed in food products.

Furthermore, current guidelines on intake are based on outdated research conducted before arsenic was found to be a carcinogen, according to the researchers.

This calls into question the need for am urgent review on the situation.

“It is apparent that inorganic arsenic levels in baby rice should be of concern,” said lead scientist, Andrew Meharg.

Read the full FoodProductionDaily.com story here.”

Pretty frightening stuff. We cannot help but wonder if the methodology used to test arsenic levels in soil with the Arsenic Quick test kit could also work for testing arsenic levels in certain types of foods.