Hong Kong Baptist University scientists herald breakthrough device to test lead in water
Award-winning invention allows residents to detect even amounts well below the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for heavy metals in drinking water, and reduces wait for results from days to minutes
Hong Kong scientists have invented a portable device that can detect even small amounts of lead in water in just 10 minutes, and want to see it used across the city, recently hit by a series of drinking water scares.
The research team from Baptist University said on Tuesday the device could detect 2 micrograms of lead per litre of water, even though the World Health Organisation and the Hong Kong government say up to 10mcg/l is acceptable. The limit is 50mcg/l on mainland China.
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One of the scientists, Dr Ren Kangning, said the award-winning device made testing faster and more affordable and he was keen to work with the Water Supplies Department to carry out tests.
“The reason we started this project is that the conventional testing method involves expensive laboratory procedures with large equipment and takes days to get results,” the associate professor at the university’s chemistry department said.
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