Evaluation of an Arsenic Test Kit for Rapid Well Screening in Bangladesh

TLDR

Millions of Bangladeshi villagers still face arsenic‑contaminated groundwater, and despite a decade‑long testing campaign, many newly installed wells remain untested, underscoring the need for affordable screening. The authors blind‑tested 123 wells with the Arsenic Econo‑Quick kit, compared results to laboratory measurements, and also evaluated a subset against the Hach EZ field kit and Digital Arsenator lab kit. The EQ kit correctly classified 89 % of wells against the WHO guideline and 92 % against the Bangladesh standard, with all WHO misclassifications being underestimates; it also offers a 10‑minute reaction time and lower cost compared to the Hach EZ and Digital Arsenator, making it advantageous for Bangladesh and similar settings.

Abstract

Exposure to arsenic in groundwater via drinking remains unabated for millions of villagers in Bangladesh. Since a blanket testing campaign using test kits almost a decade ago, millions of new wells have been installed but not tested; thus affordable testing is needed. The performance of the Arsenic Econo-Quick (EQ) kit was evaluated by blindly testing 123 wells in Bangladesh and comparing with laboratory measurements; 65 wells were tested twice. A subset of the same 123 wells was also tested using the Hach EZ kit in the field and the Digital Arsenator in the laboratory in Bangladesh. The EQ kit correctly determined the status of 110 (89%) and 113 (92%) out of 123 wells relative to the WHO guideline (10 μg/L) and the Bangladesh standard (50 μg/L), respectively. Relative to the WHO guideline, all misclassifications were underestimates for wells containing between >10 and 27 μg/L As. Relative to the Bangladesh As standard, over- and underestimates were evenly distributed. Given its short reaction time of 10 min relative to the Hach EZ and its lower cost compared to the Arsenator, the EQ kit appears to have several advantages for well testing in Bangladesh and elsewhere.