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.

Item #: ARSENIC-QUICK-2
Manufacturer: SenSafe / WaterWorks
Manufacturer’s Product Number: 481396-2, this is on your website.

I purchased as Quick part number 481297-2. Is this the same test as above ? In the 2006(AWWA) article– it says the as quick was replaced with Quick 2 — problems with the strips and foil packaging. The box or instr. do not indicate it is the quick 2 . So do I have the correct test? When I called ITS , they told me they do not have that part number, yet it is found on numerous sites. Is 481297-2 the quick 2 with the new packaging for the foil. I want the most accurate test

Thanks, Tana

We thank you for contacting us with this question, Tana, and feel confident that others besides yourself have had similar questions regarding the manner in which ITS opted to label their line of Arsenic Quick Test Kits. Hopefully the information below will clear things up for you.

The ‘-2’ you mentioned refers to the number of tests contained in the kit — which means you purchased a kit called the Arsenic Quick Low Range and it contains a total of two tests.

If you want the Arsenic Quick II, then from what we know, you would need to purchase ITS part number 481303. As packaged by ITS, that kit contains 50 tests and should have the following detection levels on its color chart: <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (µg/L).

You will find more information on the Arsenic Quick II Test Kit on the following web page: http://arsenic-test-kit.com/full-arsenic-quick-II-50-tests.shtml

You also mentioned that you want ‘the most accurate test’. All of the Arsenic Quick tests bearing the EPA/ETV certification should give accurate results when used properly. The differences between the kits lie in the precision offered by each kit and in the low level detection limit offered by each kit.

No matter which Arsenic Quick Test Kit you choose, please keep in mind that the EPA action limit for dissolved inorganic arsenic in water currently sits at 10ppb so if you detect arsenic concentrations greater than 10ppb, we suggest having your water tested immediately by a certified water testing laboratory.

Then, depending upon the results of the ‘official’ analysis, definitely select the correct water treatment system (arsenic filter or arsenic remediation system) for your individual water quality situation. Not all arsenic reduction/removal filters work the same and not all will work in every situation!

While we have no evidence to support the notion that Arsenic Quick Test Kits will function properly with juice as the test specimen rather than water, we have used the kits extensively and know that the color of the juice ought not affect the results since the test pads react with ‘arsenic gas’ liberated from the sample inside the reaction vessel and not the actual water sample.

Note: We contacted the makers of Arsenic Quick Test Kits about the effectiveness of their Arsenic Quick Test Kits with juice as samples and will most certainly share any definitive information we learn.

Getting back to the topic of using Arsenic Quick Test Kits, at first the process may sound a bit complex — but trust us when we say it really does not take a rocket scientist to perform the testing. Hence the reason why a number of people, including folks at the USEPA and other high profile government (as well as non-profit) agencies, have recommended this kit as a viable and useful field testing option when faced with situations where a water source may contain inorganic arsenic as a contaminant.

At this point you may find yourself asking, “Wait, didn’t you say the test liberated arsenic gas?”

Yes, Arsenic Quick Test Kits do liberate small amounts of arsenic gas in the test vessel but the amounts generated should not pose a problem as long as the testing takes place in an area with proper ventilation. In other words, open a window, test in the garage w/ the door open or perform your testing outdoors.

Arsenic Quick Test Kits do not require typical controlled laboratory environments in order to yield quality results.

What about the science projects?

So glad you asked! Depending on where you live, Lisa, and how many bodies of water you have access to for sampling purposes, you could have quite a few really cool science projects for your daughter to work on.

A company called Water Safe manufactures a test kit called the Science Fair Project Test Kit which gives young (or old!) experimenters the ability to test up to 10 bodies of water for the following important drinking water parameters:

Bacteria	None
Lead	Below 15 ppb
Pesticides	Below 3ppb (atrazine), Below 4ppb (simazine)
Nitrite	Below 1.0 ppm
Total Nitrate/Nitrite	Below 10.0 ppm
pH	6.5 to 8.5
Total Chlorine	Below 4 ppm
Total Hardness	50 ppm or less

Do other options exist for more testing? Of course they do… but the WaterSafe Science Fair Project Test Kit offers a good sampling (8 parameters for 10 bodies of water) of tests for a reasonable cost — around $80. If that option does not suit your budget, WaterSafe also makes the same kit in a smaller size that tests up to 4 bodies of water for the same water quality parameters for around $40.

Got bigger testing plans?

If you believe you will want to perform long-term testing and will need 25 to 50 tests per water quality parameter, SenSafe manufactures a par of kits called the Well Driller Standard and Well Driller Master test kits which both come with plenty of testing supplies to keep testing projects of longer duration well-stocked.

Previously we had never considered this topic, as we had forgotten that some areas of the country have salt water entering their aquifers due to close proximity to oceans. An oversight on our part, yes, but now we have thought about and have since gotten an answer to that question from Ivars Jaunakais, developer of the Arsenic Quick Test Kit. For those unfamiliar with the Arsenic Quick Test Kit, it makes testing water in the field for both low and high levels of inorganic arsenic as easy as testing for them in a laboratory setting.

This is to inform you that the Econo Quick II kit worked without question to give accurate readings with undiluted Ocean Water. I spiked ocean water with 50PPB inorganic arsenic and recovered visually and by Arsenic Scan 100 % of the spiked arsenic. It can be safely assumed that all our Arsenic kits will work with Ocean Water. If the customer uses brackish Ocean water that has a lot of suspended material or living microorganisms present the recommendation from me would be to allow the sediment to settle out (about ½ hour) or to filter sediment out before testing with out kit. But even this step is only recommended by me; and may be unnecessary.

The ocean water for testing should not be stored before testing, since microorganisms can convert inorganic arsenic to organic arsenic. As you know our test cannot detect organic arsenic.

Ivars Jaunakais, President of Industrial Test Systems

The following links will take you to a site where you can purchase Arsenic Quick Test Kits:

Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.010, 0.025, 0.050, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 ppb/cm² (IT-487928) Perform 300 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	IT-487928
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.010, 0.025, 0.050, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 ppb/cm² (IT-487928) Perform 300 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	IT-487928
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 20 & >20 ppb (481300-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481300-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-2) Perform 2 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-2
Arsenic in Water Test Kit 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 & >500 ppb (481396-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481396-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (481303) Perform 50 Tests, Results in 14 Minutes	481303
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (481303-5) Perform 5 Tests, Results in 14 Minutes	481303-5
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40, 45 & >50 ppb (481297-2) Perform 2 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481297-2
Arsenic in Water Test Kit <2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40, 45 & >50 ppb (481297-I) Perform 50 Tests, Results in 12 Minutes	481297-I

]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2009/08/07/testing-for-arsenic-in-salt-or-brackish-water/feed/ 0 http://watertestingblog.com/2008/04/30/inexpensive-home-arsenic-test-kits/ http://watertestingblog.com/2008/04/30/inexpensive-home-arsenic-test-kits/#respond Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:19:39 +0000 http://watertestingblog.com/2008/04/30/inexpensive-home-arsenic-test-kits/ As many of you already know, the Federal Government lowered the ‘acceptable’ level of free-dissolved arsenic in drinking water served by public/municipal water systems from 50ppb to 10ppb.  But, did you know this decision had little to no effect or bearing on private well owners?

Why is that?  Simple:  No laws require that their owners test them for continued water quality once they get approved for use.  That means a well which passed muster for arsenic (and other contaminants) three years ago may now contain dangerous levels of contaminants and no one knows it.

What can a private well owner do?  They COULD send their water out for laboratory analysis, which could cost them a pretty penny OR they could pick up an easy-to-use, accurate field test kit for arsenic in water like this:

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 (< $25 USD) home water test kit makes testing well water for arsenic with EPA/ETV Test Verified Performance accuracy as easy as it will ever get.

Also, for those of you interested in testing down to even lower levels, we recommend you consider the other easy-to-use, field-ready home water test kits for arsenic in the Arsenic Testing section of the Water Test Kit Store.  Each kit shares the same reliability, accuracy and dependability as the original Arsenic Quick kit and uses the same proven chemistry.

• Arsenic Quick II — <1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20, 25, 30, 40, >50, >80, >120, >160 ppb (micrograms/L)
   
• Arsenic Low-Range Quick — <0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, >20, >30, > 50 ppb (micrograms/L)

For those with more extensive testing needs, all the above kits (and more) come in larger sizes. Find more information on the full line of Arsenic Quick test kits. . . Here.