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. 🙂

To our knowledge, the iron in your well water ought not cause a problem for the Arsenic Quick Test Kit.

We have heard of only one common well water component that causes know interference with the Arsenic Quick line of water test kits: Hydrogen Sulfide.

Arsenic Quick test kits eliminate (negate the effects of) lower amounts of hydrogen sulfide in a water sample but hydrogen sulfide levels in excess of 2 mg/L (ppm) will interfere with testing.

Unsure if your water contains elevated levels of dissolved hydrogen sulfide?  The WaterWorks Hydrogen Sulfide Low Range test kit detects levels from 0.3 up to 2.0 mg/L (ppm).

As for which Arsenic Quick Test Kit to choose, we suggest opting for one with a wide detection range (i.e. one that starts below the EPA action level of 10ppb and can also detect levels much higher than 10ppb).  For most people looking to get a general feel for how much, if any, arsenic their water contains, the original Arsenic Quick Test Kit (packaged as 2 test, 5 test and 100 test versions) works quite well.

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.).

Good morning. We have not, yet, heard that the kit would not do so, but we have also not heard that it would... so unfortunately we really cannot say.

We suspect, however, that first you may want to research the PPB levels of arsenic that a person could expect to find in urine and see if they match up with what the test kit can detect.  We offer several different versions of the Arsenic Quick and each has its own specific detection range for arsenic.

Our next thought deals with the color of the sample possibly skewing any results obtained.  But, since the test reagent pad in the Arsenic Quick test kit does not actually touch the sample during the test procedure, we suspect that the color of the urine ought not pose a problem.

HOWEVER we do believe that the sometimes very 'bubbly' action that takes place in the reaction vessel COULD result in the formation of foam due to various things often found in urine.  That foam COULD reach the test reagent pad at the top of the reaction vessel... and ruin the test.

"We would like to know about the availability of spare chemicals reagent no 1 and bromide paper for Econo Quick Arsenic Test Kit in Bangladesh. We have a good number of test kits still to be used in which the reagent 1 need to be used by June/2014 and the bromide paper by September/2014. But our testing program will continue upto the end of this year. The other reagents arsenic OK for use by this year 2014."

Good morning, Tanveer, and thank you for your inquiry.

At this time we do not carry replacement reagents for the Arsenic Quick test kits and do not know of anyone other than the manufacturer (www.sensafe.com) that does. We suggest contacting them to see what they can do to help you purchase the test kit reagent(s) you require.

For those in search of a full arsenic test kit...

The Water Test Kit Store currently carries several different Arsenic Quick Test Kits:

• Arsenic Quick (2 Tests)
• Arsenic Quick (5 Tests)
• Arsenic Quick (100 Tests)
• Arsenic Low-Range Quick (2 Tests)

"Hi i like to test ouwer water pit op arseen."

Thank you, 'moeijes', for your question about testing for arsenic.  At this time we offer several different arsenic test kits in the Arsenic Test Kits section of our store.  We carry kits capable of testing 2, 5, and 100 samples of water.

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.

My son has recently been diagnosed with extreme arsenic levels and parasites…

Our doctor feels it may be from our water. We are in the suburbs, so have city water.

I have had health problems and so have our animals for a while now. I am wondering if our water is the cause.

I see a test for arsenic. Is there a test I can get to test for parasites in our water?

I would truly appreciate any information you could share with me!

Thank you!

Good morning, Michele, and thank you for your inquiry.

From what you described we would agree that your water may have something to do with the health problems you described in your son, your animals, and yourself. Prolonged exposure to a drinking water contaminant like arsenic can result in the appearance of a wide range of symptoms… and since your son has already tested ‘high’ for arsenic, it definitely stands to reason that you would want to test for the presence of dissolved arsenic in your water.

Simple test kits for arsenic like the Arsenic Quick test kits we carry allow home and business owners to readily and easily test for the presence of dissolved arsenic in their drinking water.

Regarding the parasites doctors found in your son’s body, well, the fact that you have city/tap water makes the likelihood of those parasites coming from the faucet quite low, but not impossible. Usually unwanted parasites get filtered out and/or neutralized via chemical or other process at a water system’s water treatment facility.

No at-home test kits exist for parasites (that we know about) so if you wish to test for parasites you will need to contact your local Health Department for a list of certified water testing laboratories and contract with one to come out, take a sample (or samples), get the sample(s) back to the lab quickly, and perform testing specifically for parasites.

A couple things to remember when it comes to parasites:

• A person can pick up unwanted parasites from sources other than drinking water. Foods may carry parasites and sometimes people may even pick certain types of parasites from contact with contaminated dirt, soil, mud, etc.
   
• Depending upon the parasite, some have the ability to exist in a host body for quite a while before the host shows any signs of infection/infestation.
   

By any chance did the doctor tell you what type of parasites he/she found in your son? That may help you to narrow down your list of ways in which your son became infected.

Moral of the story?

Sometimes a preliminary round of testing (this time unfortunately on a young boy) results in a need for more testing (this time on the water and possibly other things) before a solution becomes available. With that said, if after a round of testing you still have unanswered questions, keep testing until you find thee answers you need.

Your health and the health of those around you may depend on the answers you eventually find and solutions you implement as a result of those answers!

To a certain extent the human body CAN and DOES flush out most things (like metals) that it does not require or want to keep. BUT we must keep in mind that although the human body does function (usually) like a well-oiled processing machine, it does not always function perfectly and sometimes traces get ‘stuck’ in the system.

Those stuck ‘traces of metals’ in the system may become a health hazard over time as their quantities increase with the body’s prolonged exposure to more metals.

Additionally, in the case of heavy metals like mercury, for example, scientists have determined that some metals form bonds with organic materials within the body and get absorbed into the body. Those compounds will not leave on their own and overtime may cause a problem as their concentrations in the body increase.

Heavy metals and the food chain?

Our planet has a hierarchical food chain. Everyone knows that. But, did you know that cases of ‘mild contamination’ by heavy metals or other potential toxins at one level of the food chain may have innumerable effects on all levels above it in the food chain?

Example: Fish in a river or lake become contaminated with mercury. We eat the fish. We become home to the mercury in the fish.

Easy to test for metals in water?

In some cases like mercury, arsenic, copper, iron, manganese, chromium, lead, and select others, simple at-home water test strips and water test kits exist.

Other metals, however, can only get detected using sophisticated laboratory equipment and techniques.