Agilent Technologies and Metrohm Develop Method for Detecting Perchlorate Contamination in Water.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif. & HERISAU, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 2004 Method Provides More Sensitivity, Reliability for Detecting Water Supplies at Risk Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :A) and Metrohm AG today announced a high-sensitivity method to detect perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. in surface and drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. . Perchlorate, an explosive propellant pro·pel·lant also pro·pel·lent n. 1. Something, such as an explosive charge or a rocket fuel, that propels or provides thrust. 2. used in rocket fuel, is a widespread and potentially harmful contaminant contaminant /con·tam·i·nant/ (kon-tam´in-int) something that causes contamination. contaminant something that causes contamination. that affects thyroid function. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and (EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. ) 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 Department of Health Services may refer to:
"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 mass spectrometry or mass spectroscopy Analytic technique by which chemical substances are identified by sorting gaseous ions by mass using electric and magnetic fields. (IC/MS), combining the Metrohm Advanced Ion Chromatograph chromatograph /chro·mato·graph/ (kro-mat´o-graf) 1. the apparatus used in chromatography. 2. to analyze by chromatography. chromatograph 1. to analyze by chromatography. 2. 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 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. 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. Information about Metrohm is available at www.metrohm.com. 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 NOTE TO EDITORS: Press releases and other information can be accessed on the Agilent Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis newsroom at www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/lsca. If you choose to review this item, your readers will receive the quickest response to their inquiries by e-mailing the inquiries, with reference number MC6286, to carol_dunn@agilent.com. Alternatively, readers can mail inquiries to Agilent Technologies, Inc., 71 Southgate Boulevard, no. MC6286, New Castle, DE 19720, or call 1-800-227-9770. Further technology, corporate citizenship Corporate Citizenship The extent to which businesses are socially responsible in meeting legal, ethical and economic responsibilities placed on them by shareholders. The aim it to create higher standards of living and quality of life in the community in which it operates, while and executive news is available on the Agilent news site at www.agilent.com/go/news. |
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