Method Provides More Sensitivity, Reliability for Detecting
Water Supplies at Risk
PALO ALTO, Calif., and HERISAU, Switzerland, April 14,
2004
Agilent Technologies
Inc. (NYSE: A) and Metrohm
AG today announced a high-sensitivity method to
detect perchlorate in surface and drinking water. Perchlorate,
an explosive propellant used in rocket fuel, is a widespread
and potentially harmful contaminant that affects thyroid
function.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set
a preliminary public health goal (PHG) of 1 part per
billion (ppb) for perchlorate in water. Agilent and Metrohm’s
new method can detect perchlorate at levels below
100 parts per trillion in drinking or surface water,
allowing regulators and testing laboratories to reliably
and easily identify water supplies that approach or exceed
the PHG level.
According to the EPA, there have been confirmed perchlorate
releases in at least 20 U.S. states. The California Department
of Health Services reports that perchlorate has been
detected in more than 340 water sources in California
alone.
“This method provides regulatory agencies and
laboratories with a powerful tool to identify and quantify
perchlorate contamination and address potential health
risks,” said Mike McMullen, vice president and
general manager of Agilent’s Chemical Analysis
Solutions unit. “The Agilent/Metrohm method is
simple and reliable and does not require expensive or
complex instrumentation. The combination of Agilent’s
and Metrohm’s leading technologies will help customers
meet regulatory demands for lower detection limits.”
The Agilent/Metrohm method uses ion chromatography and mass
spectrometry (IC/MS), combining the Metrohm
Advanced Ion Chromatograph and Agilent 1100 Series
mass selective detector as an affordable solution for
environmental analysis. This application was developed
as part of a co-marketing agreement between the two
companies.
The new method has several advantages over conventional
perchlorate detection techniques, which rely on ion chromatography
with conductivity detection. Typical methods can measure
perchlorate only at 1 to 5 ppb in drinking water, and
the sensitivity decreases dramatically as sample complexity
increases. Interference by other ions in the sample can
cause false positive and false negative results. In addition,
reproducibility when analyzing heavy matrix samples such
as river water or wastewater is poor.
“By using relatively simple parameters and robust
instrumentation, the Agilent/Metrohm method effectively
reduces ion interference and eliminates many of the sensitivity
and reproducibility problems seen with other methods,” said
Dr. Helwig Schaefer Vice President of Metrohm. “This
clearly illustrates the feasibility and effectiveness
of coupling IC and MS for this and other environmental
applications.”
Further information is available by requesting Agilent’s “The
Analysis of Perchlorate by Ion Chromatography/Mass
Spectrometry” application note, publication
5989-0816EN. This note is available without charge
from any Agilent sales office or at www.agilent.com/chem/environmental.
See also our reprint "The
Analysis of Perchlorate by Ion Chromatography/Mass
Spectrometry" that is available for download.
About Metrohm AG
Metrohm provides quality instruments and services for
chemical ion analysis. Headquartered in Herisau, Switzerland,
Metrohm and its distributors worldwide provide top-class
service and instrumentation for all fields of chemical
ion analysis.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology
leader in communications, electronics, life sciences
and chemical analysis. The company’s 28,000 employees
serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had
net revenue of $6.1 billion in fiscal year 2003. Information
about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.
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